Secluded
by CatzChaos
Summary: David and Sam have secluded themselves from the world. When former Cabal scientist Patrick Gallagher hunts them down Henry and Will try to stop him. Thank you to my beta reader Pace Fan for all the help.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was a bright and sunny day in New City. Helen Magnus sat behind her desk, filling out paperwork on a trip to Mexico City she had undertaken. The trip was to find an abnormal that possessed the powers to manipulate time. She was surprised to find that the abnormal was no longer there, nor was there any trace of said abnormal.

As she worked on her report, Will walked into her office.

"You wanted to see me," he stated, as he walked to her desk. Relaxing, he sat in the chair in front of her. He felt refreshed from their trip to Mexico City. There was no time to truly relax but he had made the best of it.

"I have an assignment for you and Henry. There are two abnormals I would like you to make contact with. Unfortunately, I have been unsuccessful at this as they do not have a phone. I believe they may be in danger." Helen placed her pen down and handed Will two folders that sat on the edge of the desk.

Will looked through the folders before responding to Helen's request. The files usually include a picture for each abnormal, however, neither folder contained much information.

"So, where are we headed this time?" Will said looking up from the folders.

"Colorado. There has been some news that a few of the scientists involved with the Cabal are attempting to retrieve abnormals which they performed testing on several years ago. Both David and Sam are among these abnormals. They live just north of Leadville, Colorado. You can fly into Denver this afternoon."

"Today? Can't Kate go with Henry? We just got back last night," Will complained. He had hoped for a few days reprieve before traveling again.

"Kate is on another assignment for me." Helen raised her eyebrow at Will. "Since both of them have been exposed to Cabal experimentation, I am unsure of any changes in their abnormalities. Both Sam and David are empaths; however, David's is with animals. They live north of Leadville, away from the community. I understand that it may be difficult to find their home, so I have the coordinates in this GPS for you." Helen handed Will the small GPS unit. "Please let me know what you find when you get there." She looked back to the document she had been working on prior to Will entering her office.

Will knew there was no way to fight with her about this trip. He closed the folders and stood up. Leaning on her desk with both hands, he said "fine, but I still need a few days of down time." Walking out of her office, he began to read more of the folders.

Taking the Sanctuary private jet was much nicer and easier for them to get to their destination. When they arrived at the Denver airport, Henry and Will immediately acquired a car for their transportation. Will was glad Helen had thought about the GPS for them. He had never been to this area before, but the landscape was more beautiful than in pictures.

As they drove along the highway they found the drive to be quite scenic. Will pulled out his camera and took several pictures. The sky was a clear, deep blue today, with only a few puffy clouds placed here and there. It took them just over two hours to get to the nearly hidden road, which the GPS told them to take.

With Henry driving, Will continued to take pictures of the amazing landscape. After a few minutes on the gravel road, the climate changed. It went from balmy sunshine with only a warm breeze, to light snowflakes and dark clouds. These clouds seemed to come out of nowhere. The farther the pair drove, the darker the clouds became. Aside from it becoming dark from the clouds, the snowflakes began to get larger and larger.

Henry continued to drive up the steep embankment. The car which he was driving was definitely not appropriate for traveling at such a steep incline. The snow falling made it more difficult for him to follow the trail. The gravel road was soon covered with snow.

From what Will could see on the GPS, they were only about a mile from their destination when the car started to slip on the snow. Henry turned to Will.

"Dude, it looks like we're walking the rest of the way," he said, as he came to a stop. "There's no way we'll get up there in this thing."

Will agreed with his friend. They exited the car and retrieved their gear. Both had jackets and hiking boots already. Henry grabbed the first aid kit out of the trunk, just in case, while Will made sure he tossed a few extra water bottles into his pack.

"Alright, let's get going before it gets dark here," Will said grabbing the GPS unit and walking along the snow covered trail.

Henry followed not far behind. He was glad it was only snowing and not raining. The ground would be muddy instead of covered with the fresh blanket of white snow.

The men tried to follow the snow covered path; however, as they continued on their journey, it became more difficult for them to find the trail. The snowflakes became larger still. They were large and wet, landing on the ground. The snow covered the green grass that had been there not long before. As they walked, the embankment became steep. Slipping several times, they slowed their pace.

Will was still leading them on their journey. Unaware of a rock below the snow, he carelessly stepped down. He lost his footing and slipped down the hill. He stopped a few feet from Henry.

"They need a slippery when wet sign here," Will joked, as he regained his composure.

From a distance they could see the form of another person walking toward them. As she got closer they could see that she looked to be about 35, with long dirty blond hair pulled back in a pony tail. She continued walking toward them.

"Looks like we've got company," Henry said to Will as they started back up the hill. She stood above the rocky embankment that Will had previously been walking along. Will followed Henry up the hill.

As Will reached the slick area he had already encountered, he watched his footing more carefully. The rocks were covered by the freshly fallen snow, which made them extremely slippery. Henry reached the top of the hill first, with Will trailing behind. Again, he lost his footing on the slick rocks. Instead of sliding down on his rear as he had before, he lost his balance as well. Will tumbled down the hill on his side, only coming to a stop with aid from a tree.

Lying dazed on the snow, Will stared up at the tree that had stopped his fall. Luckily he hadn't fallen too far, only around 15 feet. Henry and the stranger made their way down the hill to where Will was.

"Will, you ok?" Henry asked him upon reaching his friend.

"Uh, I think so," Will reached up to Henry's outstretched hand, and let Henry pull him up. Feeling dizzy, Will grabbed hold of the tree next to him. He tried to shake off the dizzy feeling.

"Come on. Let's get you to my cabin to make sure you're alright," the woman said grabbing hold of Will's elbow.

"Thanks," Henry said. "I just can't take him anywhere without him getting hurt." He snickered as they slowly made their way back up the hill.

Reaching the top of the hill, the woman turned around to face Will and Henry.

"The cabin is only about 5 minutes from here. It's not too far." She looked at Will. "You sure you're alright? That cut on your head doesn't look good."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Will hadn't noticed the blood slowly trickling down the side of his head. Henry was on the opposite side, so he was unaware as well.

"I'm fine," Will stated as they continued on their way. "My name's Will, this is Henry."

"I'm Sam," she said as she guided them through the snow covered woods.

"Green?" Henry questioned.

"Yea, how did you know that?" Sam was getting slightly concerned.

"It's ok Sam, Helen Magnus sent us from the Sanctuary. Are you familiar with her?" Will assured her.

She sighed, "Yes, I know of the Sanctuary network and Dr Magnus." They could barely see through the snow now. It was falling heavier and faster. "Come on. We need to get inside."

Within minutes they saw the small cabin. As they walked up the front steps they tried to stomp off as much snow as possible as to not bring it inside with them. Sam opened the door.

A rush of warm air from inside the cabin brushed their faces as they entered the home. There was a comfortable, homey feeling inside this cabin. The fireplace was already burning, filling the air with its warm presence. To the left was a quaint kitchen area with an eating area by the back wall. Off to the right was the fireplace. Strategically placed in the living area were a couch, chair and coffee table.

"Come on in. There are hooks behind the door for your coats," Sam said as they came inside. "I'd offer you coffee, but we don't have any right now. I do have tea or hot chocolate. Would you like some?" Sam walked to the stove and turned on the kettle.

"I'd love some hot chocolate," Henry said hanging his jacket up.

"No thanks." Will was still feeling slightly light headed from his fall. He swayed slightly and sat in the chair by the fireplace.

"Let's look at your head," Sam told him, heading toward him.

"I'm ok, really," Will said touching his bloodied hair. He looked at his hand. He didn't realize he was bleeding as much as he was. No wonder he was light headed.

"I'll handle the hot chocolate. I'm not good with blood," Henry said turning away from them. He fumbled with the cabinet doors to find mugs.

Sam headed to a back room for a moment. She returned with a large red box which resembled a tackle box. Sitting on the coffee table in front of Will, she looked at his head.

"Let's take a look at this." She retrieved a gauze pad from the large first aid box. She pressed it on Will's head where the cut was located. Sam glanced at Henry to see what he was doing. She pressed a little harder on the gauze.

Will winced from the pressure on his injured head. Within a moment his expression had changed.

"Hmm, that tingles," he said quietly. "What did you put on it?"

"Nothing," Sam replied. "Looks like the bleeding has stopped. It doesn't look that bad." She removed the gauze from the wound. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"I don't think so." Will said as the door swung open, revealing a tall man who looked to be in his mid-thirties.

"Isn't the snow great?" The man exclaimed, one hand brushing snow off his light brown hair while he stomped more snow from his boots. He scowled at the man by the fireplace and asked, "Sam, you ok?" He was upset about the unexpected company in his house.

"I'm fine. David, this is Henry and Will. They are from the Sanctuary network. I guess they work with Dr Magnus," Sam reassured her brother as she stood up. Walking to him she whispered, "really, it's ok," as she passed him to return the first aid kit to its previous location.

Henry had finished making the hot chocolate and brought it to the coffee table. David grabbed a chair from the kitchen table and sat by the two men.

"What do you want?" David said defensively.

Will looked carefully at David. He could see that this man did not trust them.

"Helen Magnus sent us," Will said.

"What for?" David interrupted.

"It has come to her attention that some former Cabal scientists are looking for their test subjects. She believes that you may be in danger," Will explained as Sam sat on the couch next to Henry.

Sam instinctively looked at David with fear. He shook his head slightly at her. She looked down at the hot chocolate on the table in front of her. She replied to him with a small nod. Taking the cup in her hands she sat back on the couch and enjoyed the warmth from her drink.

"We're not in danger here," David explained. "No one can get here with the snow right now, so we're safe." He felt confident in his words.

"What happens with the snow melts?" Henry asked. "Then they can find you, just like we did."

"What are you suggesting?" Sam asked sitting her half drank cup on the table.

"Magnus wanted to make sure you were safe. If needed you can come stay at the Sanctuary," Will replied. The cut on his head was still tingling; he reached up and rubbed it.

"We'll have to discuss that," David told them. "Look, there's no way you can get back down the mountain side tonight with the snow, you'll have to stay here the night." David stood up from the chair and walked toward the kitchen. "Guess this means you'll be eating with us too." David started to pull pans from the cabinets to start making dinner for them.

Sam, still sitting on the couch, stared at the fire. It was warm, however, in need of some logs, "looks like we'll need more firewood soon. Henry will you come help me bring some in?" She asked standing up from the couch.

"Sure thing." Henry stood up and followed her into the back room. There was a small closet under the stairs that was full of firewood. They brought back several bundles and placed them in the rack alongside the fireplace.

The snow continued to fall outside the cabin. As the evening progressed the height of the snow climbed. It had been only a few hours since Will and Henry started up the gravel road, however, the snow was at least a foot deep.

Inside the cabin dinner had been eaten and dishes cleaned up. The group sat around the fireplace talking, mostly small talk. David seemed interested in the different abnormals that were housed in the Sanctuary. He listened intently to Will and Henry as they told them about the goings on inside the Sanctuary.

Sam looked at her watch, "David," she said as she pointed to her watch.

"You're right. I'm sure it's getting late," David said, looking at his sister. "Well, guys, I need to get to bed. Sam, will you get the extra blankets and stuff for our guests?" He stood up from the chair he had been sitting in, Sam nodded to her brother. He headed up the stairs to bed.

"It's only 8:30," Henry said looking at his watch.

"Oh, well, he usually goes to bed at 8 and is up at 2, then I sleep from 2 to 8" Sam said, heading to the back storage room. "How's your head feeling Will?"

"Its fine," he said rubbing at the cut. The tingling sensation had finally disappeared.

"Are you sure? You know if you have a concussion you shouldn't sleep." Sam paused returning from the back room. "At least that's what I've heard." She brought the blankets into the living room and placed them on the floor a few feet from the fireplace. "I need to go out back for a few minutes. I need to turn the generator off for the night." She slipped her boots back on, grabbed her coat and headed out the back room.

Will and Henry sat looking at each other.

"Dude, you should stay up for a while, she' right. If you have a concussion, you don't want it to get any worse," Henry told him.

"Tell you what, I'll stay up with Sam and wake you when David gets up," Will said. This would give him the opportunity to talk to Sam privately. He was curious why they were so secluded from everyone. There were many questions going through his head.

"Sounds like a plan," Henry said. He grabbed a blanket and laid down on the couch to rest. Even being early in the evening, the day had been long and he was ready to sleep.

After a few moments the lights went off in the house. The gentle hum of the generator had stopped. Sam returned to the quiet cabin. She brought with her a deck of cards and sat at the kitchen table.

Will joined her at the table.

"Think I'll stay up with you for a while, if you don't mind," he paused. "So, what did you do to my head anyway?"

"What do you mean?" Sam looked at him, eyebrows scrunched with confusion.

"It should have taken longer for the bleeding to stop. You hadn't put pressure on it that long." Will shifted in his seat. "So what did you do?"

Sam looked at the cards she was shuffling. She was concentrating on his words. She looked up at him.

"Come here." She motioned for him to lean over the table as to tell him a secret. She placed her hand over the healing cut on his head.

Sam concentrated for a moment. The tingling sensation returned to Will's injury. The ache in his head was slowly dissipating. She slowly moved her hand down from his head.

"I was interrupted earlier by David, or I would have gotten it all." Sam drew in a long cleansing breath, relaxing, she let it go.

"That's amazing," Will said, touching the area where his injury was a moment earlier. "Wow!" He was completely amazed that she could heal the cut on his head.

Sam smiled shyly, shuffled the cards more and started to deal them out.

"I usually play solitaire; I guess we can play some rummy. David and I play it a lot."

As they continued to play cards, the pair made small talk. They played for several hours, enjoying the warmth of the fire. Eventually, exhaustion hit Will. He started to yawn more often as they talked at the table.

Sam suggested they head outside for some fresh air, saying that it always helped her if she became tired before it was time to wake David. Sam grabbed a blanket to wrap herself up in; Will took his jacket off the hook by the door.

Stepping outside, the cold wintry air hit their faces abruptly.

"Ok, it's usually a lot warmer this time of the year," Sam said pulling the blanket closed around her. She walked to the end of the porch. "I love it up here," she stated to Will.

"It is a beautiful place. Do you feel safe though?"

"Most of the time. David and I take care of each other." Her gaze focused on the snow falling from between the canopy of trees above them.

"I can see that." He moved closer to her. "Thank you for … this," he said pointing to his head. "Magnus never said you could heal people."

"Yeah, well, it's only been since the Cabal and I usually don't make it known. I really don't like the thought of people wanting me to heal everyone who is sick or injured on this planet. That's not how I want to live." She turned to face him. A cold wind blew snow between them, sending a shiver up Sam's back. "Shall we?" She said, nodding toward the door. Will nodded as they returned to the warm cabin. "You look really tired. Don't feel bad about going to sleep. We do this every night. When I get David up, then I'll sleep."

"You sure?"

"Yep," Will retrieved a blanket, pillow and lay down in front of the fireplace. He watched the fire dancing across the logs. With each spark drawn up into the chimney, he drifted farther into sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The sun was bright outside; however, snow was still falling. David was already making breakfast for everyone. Henry and Will woke to the smell of cooking bacon.

"Good morning," David said to them as he noticed their movements. "Thought I'd make some breakfast. What do you think?" He held out a platter with pancakes and bacon piled high. He loved to cook. It had become a favorite thing for him to do in the middle of the night while Sam slept. David placed the food on the table, waiting for everyone to join together for breakfast. "Sam should be down in a few minutes," he said looking at his watch. It was close to 8am.

"Thanks," Will said, folding his blanket.

Henry rolled to face the other direction on the couch. He took the pillow and hid his face under it.

"Too early," he mumbled.

Will grabbed the blanket covering Henry and pulled it off him.

"I don't think so," he joked.

David had the table all ready for breakfast for them, "best part of the day," he said looking at his watch. The food was cooling off and he wondered if Sam was up. He hadn't heard her moving around upstairs yet this morning. "Help yourselves," he said, heading toward the stairs to the bedroom upstairs.

Upon reaching the room, he thought he would see his sister already up and about. Instead she was wrapped in the covers of the bed sound asleep. He sat next to her on the bed, placed his hand gently on her back and began to rub it. She began to wake up; slowly she turned to face her brother. The expression on his face slowly sank into sadness.

"You healed him, didn't you?" he questioned her.

She knew lying to her brother was never an option. "Yes," she whispered. While she slept, the injury she healed from Will's head appeared on hers. It was almost completely healed however. "It'll go away in a little while. You know that," she said sitting up, feeling slightly dizzy.

"I know." He changed the subject. "You know we can trust them?"

"Yes," she could feel exactly what Will and Henry had been feeling since the prior day. "That's why I went to find them. You really need to stop though."

"Ok, I'll think about it," David said. "Breakfast is ready." He returned downstairs to enjoy his breakfast.

It didn't take long for Sam to get moving. She came downstairs and went directly to the bathroom. She wanted to make sure the cut was healing. If there was a way to hide it, she would do that as well. She brushed her hair so it wasn't as noticeable. _Maybe they won't see it_, she thought to herself.

Sam joined the men at the table for breakfast. They were already making small talk about the upcoming day.

"So, how much snow are you going to get here today?" Will asked.

"Oh, it should stop soon," Sam said looking at her brother; he rolled his eyes at her.

"Fine," David said, exasperated. Sam looked out the window and smiled. The snow flakes began to slow down. Within less than a minute, the snow stopped falling all together. Sam grinned at her brother.

"Hey look!" Henry said getting up from the table. "The snow stopped," he walked to the front window and looked outside.

The sunlight glistened on the fresh snow. Only a few markings from the local wildlife could be seen on the snow. It looked like a picture that had been taken for a Christmas card.

"You did that?" Will asked David, who had a grin across his face. "Why would you want to snow us in here?"

"Wanted to make sure that if you meant trouble you weren't going anywhere." He laughed.

"Are we?" Will questioned. "Trouble I mean?"

David shook his head, "Nope, I trust my sister's instincts. She said you're on the up and up."

Will glanced at Sam, who tried to ignore them both and eat her food. Something was different about her this morning. Will looked more closely now. She had dark, sunken coloring below her eyes. Her hair was different. She looked exhausted, as if she hadn't slept at all the night before. Then he saw a small scab on her head, in the same area where he was injured the day before. It was quite faded, but it wasn't there the evening before.

Will reached across the table and gently moved Sam's hair. It was hanging down a little to cover the cut, "Is this what happens when you heal someone?" he asked.

She pushed his hand away quickly. She did not answer. By this time David was standing, ready to protect his sister. She brought her hand up to her brother's. Touching it gently she stood up. She nodded at Will slightly; "David, I don't feel …" The room spun as a wave of black overcame her, David was prepared and caught her mid fall. He laid Sam on the floor gently.

"What's wrong?" Will asked. Henry rushed over to join them.

"She'll be ok. She needs to rest." David looked at Henry. "Can you clear the couch? She'll be more comfortable there." Henry followed the instructions given to him. David sat on the floor with his sister, holding her in his arms until she awoke.

The room was no longer spinning for Sam when she opened her eyes. Instead she had three pairs of eyes focused on her. She became flush with embarrassment.

David helped her to her feet, "Come on." They made their way to the couch. "Lay down for a while." Sam was too dazed to argue with him. She lay on the couch as he covered her with a blanket. "She needs to sleep," he said looking at the other two men in the cabin. He walked back to the table, sat down to finish his breakfast.

Both Will and Henry followed him.

"What's going on David?" Will asked.

"She needs to sleep. There's nothing we can do but let her sleep," he explained to them.

"Does that happen every time she heals someone?" Henry asked.

"Yep, pretty much." David stared at his plate. He didn't really want to finish eating, but knew that he needed to. "You probably had a concussion," he said looking at Will, "otherwise she would've been fine by morning. I don't think she slept much last night either."

"So she will heal herself while she's sleeping?" Will asked sitting next to David at the table.

David nodded while he continued to eat.

"That is so cool!" Henry said. He joined them at the table. "I thought she was just an empath."

"That too. She knew you two were headed up the drive before I did. The animals in the woods knew you were here, so I knew as well." David scrunched his eyebrows, looking confused. Looking at Henry, he said, "But I knew you were here. I could feel you." He paused. "What are you?"

Henry did not want to share that secret with David. He was finally coming to grips with who and what he was. Talking about it made it more real. "What do you mean?" He replied avoiding the answer.

"Well, I can sense what the animals are feeling around me. Sometimes if I concentrate good enough I can see what they see. When you guys started up the drive, I could sense you. That must mean you are some kind of abnormal. Some kind of animal."

Henry looked at Will. Lying about it was not what Henry wanted to do. He knew that David could sense his emotions. "Ya, know, I really don't want to talk about that," he finally said.

David did sense the fear in Henry. Fear of acknowledging the abnormality within him.

"Ok, I understand. It's taken me a while to understand my gifts as well," he reassured him.

Will changed the subject quickly. "So what do you two do around here?"

"Sam has a garden." David glanced at the window. "Well, if I didn't ruin it with the snow. She'll really be mad if I did. Other than that we do a lot of hiking, reading. It's a quiet life out here. We both feel much safer away from other people."

"Can you tell me what happened when the Cabal took you two?" Will asked.

"I can tell you that they shot us up full of drugs. I don't remember much." David kept his gaze low. "They did some things to Sam that should never happen to anyone. She just couldn't handle being around people when we finally got out of there. That's mostly why we're here."

"David!" yelled a voice from the other side of the room. No one had noticed that Sam was standing by the fireplace. "Don't you dare tell them." Her anger could be felt in the room by everyone. "I told you, we're never talking about what happened." Sam stormed out of the cabin slamming the door. She sat on one of the chairs on the front porch.

"She's right; we vowed we'd never talk about it," David said as the door closed. "Look, I know you want to understand and possibly even help, but we're doing fine on our own." He picked up his plate and headed to the sink. He could see his sister sitting on the porch from the window by the sink. It was time to start melting the snow so their guests could leave. David had made his decision; the sun broke through the remainder of the clouds. It was a warm sun, glowing almost as if it were summer outside. A ray of sunlight hit Sam on her face. She had tear-streaked cheeks but the warmth of the sun helped her to allow a small smile to appear on her face.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

As the day progressed the snow continued to melt. What was once a picture of pure winter had become spring once again. Birds returned to the feeders posted around the cabin. There was a gentle breeze blowing into the open window of the cabin.

David and Will had gone on a hike to collect fire wood. Will thought it was more for David to get out amongst his friends, the animals again. David sat on a stump drinking water from his canteen. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the creatures around him. There was a sense of peace through out the area. He smiled warmly, looked at Will and said, "This is why we're out here. This place is so peaceful and so beautiful. Why wouldn't anyone want to live here?"

"I agree it is beautiful." Will said taking more pictures. It was amazing to see all the wildlife that would come close to them. He figured it was due to David. Maybe he could communicate back what he was feeling. "I'm not sure if I could stay here all the time though. I guess I'm a people person."

David stood up from the stump, "Guess we should keep going. We'll need this firewood for later." They grabbed the bundles they had collected and headed back toward the cabin. "Will you be headed back after lunch then?"

"Magnus was really hoping you would return with us, even for a short while." Will replied.

"I'm not sure we can do that. Sam's not good around a lot of people. She can handle 4-5 alright, but more than that bad things start to happen." David was truthful with Will. As they walked the air around them seemed to change slightly. Originally, it was fresh and spring like, it was slowly becoming stagnant tinged with a sent of mildew. David noticed this right away. He changed the wind direction to help eliminate that odor.

Meanwhile, Sam and Henry were sitting on the porch of the cabin talking. They sat facing the sunshine and fresh air of the forest.

"I can't believe he stole my idea." Henry continued. "I had a great idea, but wanted to wait for things to quiet down in the Sanctuary before putting it on paper. But, no, he had to get his comic published before I could."

Sam smiled, almost laughed at Henry. "Well, smart minds think a like, right?" she snickered. She was listening to stories about the different abnormals he had encountered. She could feel the jealousy from him, but still thought it was a funny story. "So, what about the bad ones? The abnormals that can kill?" She asked. "Do you kill them?"

"Not unless they're a threat. If they can't live in the outside world then they can come to the Sanctuary. It's not very often that we need to put any down. Most can live in the confines of the Sanctuary, even if it's in the SHU, which is a high security area." Henry felt comfortable talking with Sam. It was unlike anything he'd felt before. She listened intently to him but gave her opinions. She was funny and joked around when he cracked jokes. It was nice to sit back and relax with someone.

"David mentioned something yesterday. I hope you don't mind my asking though," she started. "He could feel your presence too, before I found you guys. Are you an abnormal too?" She looked thoughtfully at him. She didn't want him to become upset about her question, but she was curious.

"I guess I can't lie to you too, since you know what I'm thinking." Henry began.

"No, I don't know what you're thinking, only how you're feeling."

"Ah, and yes." He answered.

Sam placed her hand gently on his, "It's not always a bad thing. Why do you feel so conflicted inside?"

Henry looked at her. Her brown eyes were staring into his. It felt like hours before he could come up with an answer. She waited patiently for his words. "It's because of what I am. A lycan. You know, a werewolf. I'm an animal. But I don't want to hurt anyone."

She could feel his anger building up inside. "Henry, I'm not afraid of you. I can feel the good inside you, even when you're upset like you are right now. I can feel how afraid you are." She was close to tears. "Please don't be afraid like this. I know you are not mean, you're not an animal inside."

Abruptly, the winds changed. There was a faint mildew smell. Henry stood up slowly. He had smelled this before. What was it though? He was trying to remember what it was. Walking toward the odor, he focused on the smell.

"What's wrong?" Sam could feel the anxiety building up inside her friend. "What is it?" She walked to him. "Henry?" Her touch caught him off guard and he turned abruptly at her.

"Fear. I smell fear." He said.

Sam's eyes widened. She listened carefully to the winds. She felt it now. It was fear. It was hate. It was evil. Someone was coming. "We need to get inside." She said quietly to Henry.

They both turned quickly. Sam pulled the door open and entered the cabin. Henry was not far behind her. As he entered the cabin he fell forward, pushing Sam to the floor. He abruptly landed on top of her.

Sam began to panic. She could feel his pain. It burned. It was excruciating. She moved out from under Henry, trying not to move him. He lay face down on the entryway of the cabin. As she stood up she could see why he was in pain. His shirt began to change colors. A deep red liquid seeped into his shirt. He was bleeding from this lower back.

Sam's panic changed to anger. As Henry lay still face down on the floor, she stood in the door way. She could feel the person's fear clearly now. She focused on that. Clinching her fists, she squeezed them tighter and tighter. Soon her nails dug into the palms of her hands. Drops of blood hit the porch as she stood there. After a few moments, the person's emotions had left her. She could no longer feel the presence of another. The fear and evil state of mind was gone. No where to be found.

Sam turned facing Henry. He lay in the same position, motionless. She kneeled down next to him. Lifting his shirt slightly she could see the entry wound on his back. The blood pulsed along with his heart beat. She could no longer feel what Henry was feeling; he was deep into an unconscious state.

"Henry," she whispered, knowing he wouldn't respond. "I've never done this before. Not this bad." Breathing in deeply she looked around hoping to feel Will or David's presence. Nothing came.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

David and Will's arms were full of timber as they returned to the cabin. They had spent the morning hiking through the beautiful forest in search of fallen timber. They entered the cabin through the back door to place the fire wood in the collection bin in the storage room. David entered the cabin first, through the back room. Immediately, the expression on his face dropped as he saw both Sam and Henry lying on the floor with a pool of blood below them.

"Samantha?" David said rushing to his sister. Will followed. They couldn't believe their eyes.

Henry lay face down in a blood soaked shirt. Will checked him for a pulse. "He's alive." Will stated looking at David.

As Will was checking for the cause of blood on Henry's shirt, David checked his sister. "She's got a pulse." David sighed full of relief. Sam was lying on her side, next to Henry. David began to check her for any injuries.

Henry moaned. "Sam?" he whispered. Opening his eyes he could see Will next to him. He had a confused look on his face.

"Henry, what happened?" Will asked.

Henry slowly sat up, looking around the room. He saw Sam lying next to him, still unconscious. Turning to face her, he noticed the blood on the floor around them. Henry reached back toward where he thought he had been shot. "I was shot." Henry no longer felt any pain in his back. He lifted his shirt, "Will?"

"No, nothing there." Will looked at David. "Did she?" Will started to ask but stopped himself when he saw David's expression.

David had found the wound on her back. The wound still oozed blood slowly. David placed his hand over the wound and put pressure on it, hoping to help stop the bleeding. Will stood and went to the kitchen quickly. He grabbed a towel and gave it to David. "Here, use this."

David placed the towel over the hole in Sam's back. He pressed down on the towel. Henry sat dazed watching David and Will. They were checking to make sure she wasn't injured anywhere else. They could find no other injuries.

After a few minutes, David checked her wound. The bleeding had finally stopped. David turned Sam onto her back. "Sam?" He spoke softly to his younger sister. "Come on Sam. Open your eyes." She lay there on the floor not responding. David's emotions started to kick in. He was becoming angry.

The morning had been sunny since David stopped the snow, now clouds were rolling in. It was no longer sunny. The sky turned gray. David stood up. "It's all your fault!" He started to yell at Will and Henry. "You did this to her!"

"No David, we didn't do it." Will replied.

Henry still sat on the floor next to Sam looking dazed. He held her hand as gently as she had held his earlier in the morning. Slowly, he lifted her enough to hold her. He wrapped his arms around her, cradling her hoping she could feel his emotions. He couldn't believe that she did this for him.

Rain started to fall outside, which quickly turned to hail. "If you weren't here, none of this would have happened!" David yelled. He stormed around the cabin. "I can't believe I let you stay!" His emotions were overtaking him.

"David, look." Henry told him, looking down at Sam's hand in his. "Look!" he said sternly. Sam gently squeezed his hand.

"Sam?" David knelt by his sister. He brushed her hair from her face. Her skin was pale and cold. "Samantha?"

Sam could hear them arguing. She could feel all the emotions in the room. She gathered all the strength she could find to open her eyes. The room was blurry, it was dark outside. She felt confused, elated, angry, scared, compassion, grateful, and loved. She could no longer distinguish the rest of the emotions surrounding them. "Not their fault." She whispered to her brother. "Look outside." Sam turned her gaze toward Henry, who still held her in his arms. The weight of her eyelids overcame her, she closed her eyes.

"What'd she say?" Will asked.

"Go look outside." Henry said.

David calmed enough for the hail to stop. He and Will headed out the front door. It was still dim from the dark clouds above the trees. They walked around the cabin, searching. They were unsure what to look for. David spotted an unusual mound and walked toward it. The mound became more recognizable the closer he got. It was a camouflage jacket, with a man lying on the ground. David checked for a pulse. The man was dead.

"Will. Over here." He yelled. "I think this is what she meant."

Will came over to David. "Wow." David turned the man over. His face was pale white, lips purple. He looked as though he had been dead for several days. "Do you know him?"

David shook his head. "No," He glanced around, "but here's his gun." He said kicking at it on the ground.

Will assessed the area. Looking at the man on the ground, he tried to find a reason for his death. He found one shell casing close to the body. No blood. No sign of a struggle. He looked as if he just fell over dead. "This doesn't make sense. How'd he die?"

David, kneeling next to the body, looked up at Will. "Sam," he paused, "it was her." It was even more difficult to think it, but he knew that Sam had killed the man.

"Sam?" Will was shocked with what he'd heard. "How?"

"It doesn't matter, she did. Let's get back."

Once the two had decided that they were still alone in the woods, they returned to the cabin. When they entered, Henry was still sitting on the floor with Sam. They were in the same position as when they had left.

Sam lay wrapped in Henry's arms. He held her gently, stroking her hair and watching her breathe. Her breathing was stronger now. Her face still pale.

"How's she doing?" Will asked as he walked through the door.

"Same." Henry replied.

David closed up the front door. "Let's get her upstairs. At least she can rest in bed." David had gathered his emotions. "Look, I'm sorry I blamed you guys. I know it wasn't your fault. I just don't know what I'd do if I lost her."

David moved closer to his sister. Gently he bent down to pick her up. Henry pulled her closer to him. "No." He said. "I'll take her."

The day slowly turned into evening. The tension in the cabin could be felt in the air. Will sat on the couch watching the flames of the fire jump from one piece of wood to another. He rubbed his temples, feeling the exhaustion from the day's events. He stood, walked toward David in the kitchen.

"I'm going to go find a signal for my cell. I'll call Magnus. We're going to take you both back to the Sanctuary with us. You're not safe here." Will said. Grabbing his jacket he headed toward the door.

David glanced his way. He nodded, "Ok, we'll go, but we'll have to wait until Sam can travel."

"How long?" Will asked him as he opened the door.

"Dunno, maybe a day or two. She's never done something like this before."

"Alright, I'll let Magnus know. Back in a bit." Will closed the door behind him as he headed to the rental car.

The smell of soup and hot biscuits radiated through the cabin. David was cooking, keeping himself busy. Dinner was ready. David prepared food for his sister.

Sam lay on the bed sleeping. She had woken only for moments at a time throughout the day. Her coloring was slowly returning to normal. David laid the tray of food on the dresser. "Henry," he said touching the man's shoulder. Henry had fallen asleep in the chair next to the bed. He had not left Sam's side throughout the whole ordeal. "Henry?" David repeated.

Henry opened his eyes. "David." He didn't realize he had fallen asleep.

"I brought some soup for Sam if she wakes up again." David sat next to his sister on the bed. Touching her hand, he asked "How's she doing?"

"No change."

"You look exhausted." David noticed that Henry's eyes were sunken and bloodshot. "Why don't you go lie down and get some sleep?"

"I'm fine."

"Tell ya what, I'll bring you a blanket and you can camp out up here."

"Really, I'm fine."

David could see the concern in Henry's face. "Ok," he responded. "I'm going to eat and I'll be back up in a few minutes."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

As Will left the cabin he grabbed the keys to the car they had rented. He'd hoped that he could get a signal for his cell phone by the time he reached the car. The journey back to the car was less confusing. The snow had melted and the gravel trail could be seen easier. He followed the trail.

Finally reaching their vehicle, Will pulled his cell out once again to check for a signal. There was none. He sighed deeply, pulled out the keys and unlocked the door. He slowly turned the car around as to head back toward the main road.

The woods were quiet. The drive even quieter. The events from the past two days ran through his head. He was amazed that Sam could heal people, but the thought of her killing someone with a thought, that scared him.

He reached the road and a signal for his phone. Pulling off to the side of the road, he dialed Helen Magnus.

"Will." She answered. "There you are."

"Yea, I've had no signal." Will explained.

"Have you found David and Sam?" She questioned.

"Yes, we found them. They will be coming back with us. Sam's hurt."

"Can he travel?"

"_She _should be able to in a couple days."

"Alright, I'll have the plane on standby for you. You need to get them here as soon as you can. I believe your location may have been compromised."

"Think you're right, we were fired upon earlier today." He paused. He thought about telling her all of what happened but chose to wait. "From what I could tell, it was only one person though. Don't know who he was either."

"Well, I want you to return as soon as possible. If Sam can travel tonight, please do so."

"Understood." Will was glad to have made contact with Helen. He wanted to tell her all of their journey; however, he needed to return to the cabin before night fall. "Look, there's no cell signal at the cabin. We'll be out of contact again until we leave. I'll let you know when we're leaving so you can alert the pilot."

"That will do. Watch your back."

Will disconnected from their conversation. Looking around, the road was empty of travelers. It was extremely quiet still. There were very few animal sounds from the wooded areas around him. Turning the car around, he headed back up to the cabin. This time he didn't need to walk part of the way. The snow had completely cleared itself away. He only needed to deal with the mud. The drive was well graveled at the bottom, as he got closer to the cabin the mud became more prominent than the gravel. He moved slowly through it, finally reaching the cabin.

Instead of returning into the cabin right away, he chose to go back to the body they had found. It lay in the same place as it did several hours earlier in the day. He checked the man's pockets, hoping to find some trace of who sent him. Unfortunately, he was unable to find any ID and the cell phone the man had was a prepaid cell. He could hope that someone would call it. Even with finding the cell phone, there was no signal for it to receive any calls.

Paying the dead man some respect, he covered his body with downed tree branches and leaves. Once he completed this he turned back to the cabin. From where he was standing he could see the front porch clearly. There were several large trees blocking his view, but he could see the front door perfectly.

The windows glowed from the lights inside. The daylight was almost completely gone. Evening had over taken the day. Will returned to the cabin.

Upon entering the cabin he felt an eerie silence. The fire was almost out. Will walked to the fireplace and placed a new log on the fire. He locked up the doors and headed upstairs. The silence in the cabin filled every corner. Only a few pops from the burning timber could be heard.

Rounding the corner of the stairs, he entered the upstairs bedroom. On one side was of the bed was David. He slouched in the chair previously occupied by Henry. He had a blanket covering him, sound asleep. Will went further into the room. He noticed Henry sitting at the head of the bed with Sam. She lay across his lap, sleeping. Henry lifted his hand and motioned for Will to stay quiet.

"How's she doing?" He whispered.

"Better. She was up for a little while. I got her to eat a little soup." Henry replied quietly. He did not want her to wake again until she was ready to. He leaned back on the headboard placing his hand on her shoulder. She moved slightly with his touch.

"Be downstairs." Will motioned toward the floor. Turning around, he headed back to the main floor. He decided that he would stay up for a while since David was sleeping. Someone needed to be aware of anything odd outside. He went to find the deck of cards that Sam had used the night before.

The night hours dragged on for Will. He sat at the kitchen table playing solitaire, then he started to build with the deck of cards. Several times he went out on the front porch for fresh air. The evening was filled with the sounds of animals. It was nice to hear these sounds. It became very relaxing. Will sat on the front porch for some time. He didn't realize how late it had become until he heard movement inside the cabin.

David opened the door and stepped out on the front porch with Will. "Nice night," David said, sitting in the chair next to his new friend.

"Yea, it is." Will agreed. "How's Sam doing?"

"She's still sleeping. Henry's still with her." He thought for a moment. "Did you get a hold of Dr. Magnus?"

"Yeah, told her we'll head out when Sam is able to travel. She said the jet will be waiting for us at the airport. Do you think Sam will be up to traveling in a day or so?"

"Like I said before, I don't know. She's never healed anyone who was shot. Either way we have to leave. We're not safe here right now."

"I agree. We need to get you both to the Sanctuary."

"Why don't you get some rest for a while? I'll take watch now."

Will nodded. "Ok, I'll be on the couch if you need me." Will stood up, stretched slowly and headed back inside.

David sat listening to the animals of the forest. They were calm tonight. That was always a good thing. This meant he didn't' have to worry as much, even though he was full of worry tonight. He relaxed and focused on the noises in the forest.

The crickets were talking to each other, they were happy and dancing around the woods. There was a raccoon he could feel, she was watching over someone. She was a bit nervous. The elk paced through the trees. He could feel them relaxing in a warm spot, not too far from him. He focused a little more; he could see himself on the porch. They were very close tonight. Protecting their friends. There were a few rabbits arguing over something to eat, but gave up and hopped away.

Being able to focus on the animals helped David to relax. He knew that if he were relaxed than his sister can use that emotion to stay relaxed and heal. He was unsure of what they would find when they went to the Sanctuary with Will and Henry the next day. He did not like the idea of going, but knew that for the time, it was necessary.

As David listened to the animals, the sun began to creep through the canopy of trees. The light was warm and delightful. It was a sunny spring morning. He decided to go in and start breakfast around that time.

Time went slowly for Will, Henry and David, waiting for Sam to recover. Over the next couple days they rotated taking care of her, keeping a look out for any other dangers and sleeping. The days were long and quiet. David had decided that after the second day they would leave for the Sanctuary, knowing that Sam would still be weak and not fully recovered.

The morning of the third day Will awoke to the noise in the kitchen. David was trying to be quiet, but unfortunately, he dropped a dish which echoed. Will sat up and stretched. "Need any help?" He asked.

"Naw, I'm done. I just heated up some waffles. I make them in bulk, freeze them and use them whenever. There's some fresh strawberries and blueberries in a bowl on the table if you'd like some on yours." David placed a plate and some juice on a tray. "I'm going to take this up to Sam, see how she's feeling today."

"Ok," Will replied.

Entering the room, David saw Sam curled up with Henry. A wave of frustration flooded David when he saw this, even though Henry had been with her almost every moment. Henry had fallen asleep on the bed with Sam. David placed the tray on the dresser. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

David sat down and touched Sam's arm gently. "Sam?" He spoke softly.

She stirred, slowly opening her eyes. Her coloring had returned to normal, however she still looked exhausted. "huh?" She was confused. How long had she slept?

"Hey, how are you feeling?" David asked her.

Henry cracked open his heavy eyelids to see what was happening around him. He saw David sitting on the edge of the bed. Sitting up, he could feel the ache in his body from sleeping the way he did.

Sam sat up slowly. "I'm fine." She reassured them both. "Feel like I've been hit by a bus a couple of times, though," she snickered.

"I brought you breakfast. You need to eat." David waited for her to sit up and lean back on the headboard before he placed the tray of food on her lap. He looked at Henry who was getting up off the bed. "You should, too. I haven't seen you eat at all."

"I'm headed down now." Henry replied. "You sure you're ok?" He asked Sam as he headed toward the stairs.

"I'll be fine Henry," she reassured him.

"Ok, I'll be back up in a little bit." Henry headed down to get cleaned up and eat some breakfast.

David sat in the chair beside the bed. She seemed much better this morning. It was time to talk about what happened. "Why did you heal him?"

"He was dying. I couldn't let him die." She slowly ate her breakfast as they talked.

"Sam, when I saw you on the floor…" David cleared his throat. "I thought I'd lost you." Tears filled his eyes; he tried to hold them back.

Sam could feel his concern and fears. His emotions affected her deeply. She couldn't stop her tears, nor did she want to. "David, I love you. I don't plan on going anywhere."

David regained his composure, "we're going to the Sanctuary today."

"Why?"

"We're not safe here right now. Don't you remember me telling you this yesterday?" David stood up from the chair as she shook her head slightly. "What do you need to take with you? We'll pack a bag each. I don't know when we'll be back here."

"You really think it's necessary?"

"Yes." David was adamant about his decision. "No discussion, we're going."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Even though Sam had slept quite a bit, she was still exhausted. Healing someone with an injury that significant took everything out of her. She packed a few things and headed downstairs to take a shower before they left.

David had already packed a few things while she was sleeping earlier. Both Henry and Will helped David clean up the cabin and get things closed up. David knew that they would be gone for a more than a few days, so he wanted to make sure everything was cared for before they left.

Sam took a long hot shower. She felt the need to be clean. Thinking about the past few days, she became overwhelmed with emotions. _Why did that man have to show up? Why did he have to shoot Henry?_ It had been such a good day until that point. Remembering the events in her mind, she dried off and got herself dressed. Throwing her hair back in a ponytail, she cleaned up the bathroom.

It didn't take long for the group to get ready. It was still early in the morning; there would be plenty of time for them to travel during the day hours. They headed out the front door toward the car.

Will drove down the gravel drive returning to the main road. The morning was hazy, but calm. It was a beautiful morning in the mountains. The trees were tall, leaves glistening with the morning dew. As the morning warmed up, the dew evaporated.

Henry sat in the back with Sam. They joked lightly about flying. Henry would much rather drive the rest of the way back to the Sanctuary, but knew that was not an option.

David turned to look at Sam. "You really need to get more rest." He was still worried about her. She still didn't look completely back to normal. The morning activities wore her out.

"I'll be fine," she reassured him.

"You have time to take a nap while we're driving. Remember the last time you were around a lot of people?"

She nodded at him. "Yeah, I remember," she paused, "David, the man in the woods?" She had wanted to ask earlier, but wasn't ready to hear the answer.

David looked at Henry then back at Sam. He shook his head. She knew what he meant. She could feel how upset he was for having to tell her, but they never kept secrets from each other.

Sam turned and stared out the window. She knew she killed him. How could she do that? She thought she was a monster for being able to murder someone like that. Tears began to well up in her eyes. Quietly, she allowed them to flow.

Henry gently placed his hand on her back. He couldn't imagine how she felt at that moment. Sam shifted herself to face Henry but couldn't bear look at him. Instead she allowed him to pull her close to him. She buried her face in his jacket and sobbed. The car was silent for the longest time. Allowing her to deal with what she had done. Her sobs slowed until she drifted to sleep. Henry held her never wanting to let her go.

Finally they arrived at the Denver Airport. Will had contacted Helen when he received a cell signal; the pilot was waiting for them. Even being a private jet, they still had to go through the airport. David was completely aware of how difficult this would be for Sam. There were so many people around her; she would be overwhelmed by all the emotions.

Before entering the airport, David stopped Sam. "You feel anything wrong you need to tell me right away. Got it?"

Sam nodded. Even though she had slept most of the drive to the airport, she still felt tired. Will led the way to the private terminal. As Sam entered through the main door, she felt a wave of emotions, which made her feel dizzy. Henry noticed her sway and gently took her hand. Without saying anything he led her along the route. He watched her carefully, knowing that she was being bombarded by emotions.

David walked behind his sister watching her. Several times he saw her pause.

"What's wrong?" Will asked David when they came to a complete stop.

Sam froze in her tracks. Even though Henry and David edged her on, she wouldn't move. She turned to her brother, her face filled with fear.

"What is it Sam?" David asked placing his hand on her shoulder.

"I don't know. There's too many." She swayed on her feet. "I can't focus." Dropping her bag, she grabbed her head. "It hurts too much." Drops of blood trickled from her nose. She quickly wiped it away, hoping no one would see.

"Sam! Look at me!" David demanded. "We just need to keep moving. You can do this." Picking up her bag from the floor, he placed it over his shoulder and took her now empty hand. "Come on, let's get through this."

Sam took a deep breath. Holding tightly to David and Henry's hands, she turned around and slowly returned to the direction they were headed.

David noticed the blood dripping from Sam's nose as they walked. He felt her slowing her pace. He knew she was not fully recovered from healing Henry. She could feel everyone's emotions around her. Unfortunately, he became worried.

Looking around the corridors he could see people reacting as she went past them. Several became dizzy; others nauseous, still others fainted. He needed to get her moving quicker.

"Come on Sam, we need to get moving. Stop slowing down." He spoke softly to her. "Focus on us only." He quickened his pace.

Will turned looked behind him, checking to make sure they were following his lead. He could see that Sam's head was tilted toward the floor, her eyes closed.

By this time Henry and David were almost pulling her through the airport. She stumbled and fell on the floor.

"We're almost there," Will said turning around. "She ok?"

"We just need to keep going." David told him. David helped her up to continue.

Will could see behind them several people vomiting into garbage cans at the same time. He wondered how Sam could be doing all this. Turning, he continued his lead.

Within a few minutes they reached the gate to the private jet. The pilot was waiting for them, reading the newspaper.

"Welcome back Dr. Zimmerman, Mr. Foss." He said folding his paper and laying it down on the chair. "Please let me know when you are ready to leave and I will notify the tower."

"We're ready now," Will told him.

Sam stopped before getting to the gate. Turning around she looked at a young lady behind her. Tears streaked down her cheeks. She could feel the lady's pain, she was in such sorrow. Sam turned back to face her brother, with pleading eyes, she stared at him for a long moment.

"I didn't kill anyone this time," she said quietly to him. "I want to leave now. Please?"

"Then let's get on the plane." Will motioned toward the gate.

Once on the plane Sam felt completely exhausted. She found a seat, closing her eyes, she leaned back. Henry sat next to her, David behind them. Will brought over a pillow and blanket.

"She needs more sleep, doesn't she?" he asked David.

"Yeah," David replied.

Will handed the pillow to Henry, who raised the arm rest between them. Laying the pillow down on his lap, he could see that Sam was already asleep. Will and Henry carefully lowered her to the pillow. Will covered her with the blanket. She slept the whole flight back to New City.

The flight to the New City Airport was quiet. David continued to ask more questions about the Sanctuary and Dr Magnus. Will and Henry were glad to be headed home. Upon reaching the airport, the plane was able to dock in the private hanger.

There was a car waiting for them when they got to the hanger. David and Henry grabbed the bags and started to pack them into the trunk of the car.

"Before we drive some more, I need to use the bathroom," Sam said.

"I'll show you where it is," Will spoke up.

This gave David the opportunity he wanted to speak to Henry. Closing the trunk, David turned to Henry.

"Look, I know you like my sister, but I'll warn you now, you hurt her, I'll make your life a living hell." David said to him.

Henry smiled at David. Was it really that obvious? "Dude, I understand." He wanted to explain things to him, but couldn't find the words to do it.

"Good," David said. "She's been through enough; I honestly don't know how she's gotten through it all."

"I get it." Henry began to feel defensive. "Look man, I don't know why I'm drawn to her like this. I just am."

"Ok," David relaxed knowing that Henry knew he was just protecting his sister.

The car was packed and ready to go. Henry and David stood by it waiting. Henry started to get a bad feeling.

"Something's wrong." He stated walking toward the back of the hanger.

David followed.

When they reached the bathrooms, they found both to be empty. Will and Sam were no where to be found.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

It had been three days since they had returned to New City. Helen and her team we pulling every string they could trying to find Will and Sam. They still had very little to go on.

Helen walked through the Sanctuary hall with David and Henry. She had noticed that Henry was worried more than he should be. She wondered what had really happened in the Leadville cabin. Neither had talked about it. They were busy trying to find their missing friends.

Kate exited the elevator looking for Helen.

"Doc," she said, following them into her office, "I think we found something."

"Yes, Kate, what is it?" Helen said.

Both David and Henry turned with anticipation, hoping to hear good news.

"Declan's informant told him that someone named Gallagher had them," Kate responded. "He's trying to find out how solid this lead is."

"Thank you Kate. Please let me know what the outcome is. I would like to bring them both home soon." Helen was worried. Will had been gone before, but they had always found him quickly. This was different, it's been more than a day or two; it's now been three days. She hadn't slept except when she fell asleep at her desk on accident.

"Henry, I would like you to check on Will's cell signal again. While you're at it, please check the energy output in Old City. It's possible if it's Gallagher, he's got another lab set up. There would be a high use of electricity." She knew keeping him busy would help him worry less.

"Sure Doc." Henry headed to his tech lab. He knew what she was doing. There was no reason to check Will's cell signal, again. He'd done this several times already. There was no signal. He wanted to know who this Gallagher character was.

"Please sit down David." Helen said sitting on the edge of the couch. "I have a few more questions for you."

David sat down next to her.

"What else can I tell you?" he said, rubbing his forehead. He was tired as well, sleeping only a few hours the night before, due to something in his tea, so he though.

"Do you know this Gallagher?"

"Yes," he spoke coldly. "I know him. He's the one that took us before, well his team at least. I only met him once."

"What can you tell me about him?"

"He's cold hearted. It doesn't matter what he has to do to get what he wants." David didn't want to pull those memories out, but knew he would have to. "If he has her, she will try to kill him."

Henry came running into the room.

"Emily! Doc, what about her?" Henry said, grabbing his head with both hands, "I can't believe I didn't think of this earlier!"

Helen leaned back slightly. "I've already contacted her. I left a message on her voice mail early yesterday. I'm hoping to hear from her soon."

Will sat in the cold room. The lighting was poor, but he could make out what things were for the most part. The room was small; there was a two-way mirror on one wall, he knew he was being watched. The room was vacant of furnishings. No one has spoken to him since he'd woken up. His head ached. He could feel dried blood on the hair on the back of his head. _Not another concussion,_ he thought to himself rubbing his head. He wasn't sure how long he had been there, although he knew it was longer than a day. The only light came from under the door frame. Every now and then a shadow would pass, but never stopping at his door. He could hear voices from the other side of the door as well.

He waited silently on the floor. It seemed like hours before he saw more shadows moving outside the door. This time, it was being unlocked. Two men entered the room and took Will by his upper arms. He protested, but they dragged him out of the room. Pushing him through an open door, Will saw Sam lying strapped to a bed. She was alive and awake, but expressionless.

"What have you done to her?" he demanded. A tall, slender man with reddish hair stood next to Sam.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Patrick Gallagher said. The lab coat he was wearing hung loosely. "Sit him down."

The two men pushed Will into a chair next to Sam. It seemed strategically positioned; he could reach out and touch her. Unfortunately, that was not part of their plan. The men tied his arms down to the chair.

"I have your friend now," Gallagher said, looking at Sam. "You willing to keep him alive? Then you need to show me what you've got. Remember, try anything and he's dead." He signaled toward the window behind him. As he did, an old woman stood waiting. She looked like she had been living on the street for years. Her face was covered in dirt and her clothing torn. "Her, just her." He rubbed his chin. "Hmm, I would like a broken finger."

Sam did nothing. She did not move, nor did she reply. The woman behind the window demanded to know where her money was.

Gallagher motioned toward the man still standing behind Will. The man simply took a fire extinguisher and smashed Will's hand with it. Will yelled in pain, he heard bones crack. He couldn't believe he was bait for them.

Sam did as Gallagher requested. There was a snap from the other side of the window. The woman yelled in pain.

"Now, both her legs," he demanded.

Sam paused. Gallagher again started to motion to the man by Will. All of a sudden there were two more loud snaps. The woman fell to her knees crying and screaming.

Will looked at Sam. Tears filled her eyes, but she did not move. "Stop!" he yelled.

"Shut him up," Gallagher replied. The man by Will shoved a cloth in his mouth.

"Now kill her!"

Sam sobbed uncontrollably. The evil in the room was overwhelming to her. She could feel every emotion there, even the terror from the woman on the other side of the window. She felt fear and compassion from Will.

"I said kill her!" Gallagher yelled again.

She knew she had no choice. If she didn't kill this woman, they would kill Will. Then they would continue with her anyway. She reluctantly obeyed his order. The woman lay dead on the floor in the next room.

Gallagher smiled an evil smile. "Good girl," he said, patting her on her head. "Give her some more." He told the other man and headed to the door. "Leave him in here like that for now." Gallagher left the room, however he did not finish his study of Sam. He stood behind the two-way mirror placed behind Will.

The two were left in the room alone. Will scooted his chair over to the bed where Sam lay. Once there he tried to reach out his uninjured hand toward her, but could not reach her. His hand started to throb as endorphins were no longer running through his system. He tried to remove the cloth from his mouth. After several minutes of maneuvering, he was able to push the remainder of the cloth out of his mouth.

"Sam?" he said gently. She lay, staring at the ceiling. She said nothing. Will wondered what was in the IV on the other side of her. "Sam, can you hear me?" he whispered. She still didn't answer. He sat with her, waiting to see what would happen next. He knew the two of them would be in therapy sessions for some time after this was over. If they survived.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Emily, thank you for returning my call," Helen said, sitting at her desk.

"You said it was important," Emily said from her apartment. "What's going on?"

"It's Will. He's missing, so is an abnormal named Sam. They've been gone four days now. We have very little to go on and was hoping you might be able to assist."

"I see." Emily had returned to working with the local police department for a week now. "If you can hang on for a minute, I'll see what I can find."

"Yes, I'd be glad to wait." Helen leaned back on her chair.

Emily put the phone down on the table next to her. She was feeling much better about helping Helen now. She had helped her a few times in the past, other than when she was at the Sanctuary. Knowing Will would make it easier for her to locate him. She closed her eyes, breathed slowly and thought of her friend.

_She could see a woman strapped to a bed. More experiments, she thought. There was an IV; she couldn't make out what it said on the packaging. Her hand throbbed in pain. A man came through the door behind her, she couldn't see him. _

"_Hey, let her go!" she yelled, yet it sounded like Will's voice. Hoarse as it was, it still sounded like him. She felt weak and tired, but fought to get out of the chair she was strapped to. _

_The man walked in front of them both. She tried to memorize his looks, red hair, thin and light in complexion. She watched him smile at the women. _

"_Come now, Samantha, are you ready to listen to me the first time? Or do we need to continue with the games?" he said, walking to the opposite side. _

"_Let her go!" Will yelled again. "You're killing her. Can't you see that?" _

"_Shut up!" yelled the man with red hair. "Samantha," he sung, "I have something I want you to do. Now remember, you disobey, your friend gets hurt." Sam didn't respond. "There's four men over there now. Kill them all!"_

Emily pulled herself back to her apartment. She did not want to watch that. She picked up the phone. "Helen?"

"Yes Emily. What did you find out?"

"They're still alive. It's not good. Will's hurt and Samantha, well, I think she's drugged or something."

"Could you tell where they were?"

"No." Emily knew she couldn't give up. Will helped her more than anyone else had. She had built a great friendship and trust with him. She did not want to see him get hurt, let alone killed. "Let me give you a call back in a bit. I'll go back there, see what I can find out."

"Yes, that would be fine. Thank you for helping us," Helen said, hanging up the phone.

David walked into Helen's office. "Anything?" he asked, coming over to her desk.

"We know they're alive," Helen told him. They were both relieved. "We'll find them." She reassured him.

Sam lay strapped on the bed. Gallagher standing over her, waiting. "I told you to kill them!" He reminded her. There was no reaction from Sam.

Will on the other hand, he was highly upset. He was trying to break free from the chair he was tied to. "Sam, don't. You don't need to." He tried to say calmly.

Gallagher gestured at the man behind Will again. Using the same fire extinguisher, he hit him on his head. Will sat dazed. Blood trickled from his ear slowly.

"Now, you can either do as I said or I will continue until he cannot do anything. Until all you feel is his pain." Gallagher smiled at her. "Come on, I know you can do this one too. I want only the ones who are angry at me." He turned toward the window. There were 11 people standing on the other side. Slowly, people began to fall to the ground. After a minute or two, only 2 were standing. "See, I knew you could do it."

He patted her on the shoulder and walked to a counter in the room. He returned with a syringe filled with a yellow liquid. He injected it into her IV. He was determined to control her.

"I'll be back later, sweetie."

Sam continued to stare vacantly at the ceiling.

Gallagher opened the door to bright sunlight. It had been several hours since he had been outside; he hadn't realized that it was the next day already. Pulling a cigarette out of the package located in his lab coat, he lit it and inhaled deeply. He sighed. He was proud of himself today. He looked around his city; this would be _his _city in the end. He was sure of it.

Unknown to him, he was not alone. There was another presence with him. Emily was able to see the building he came from, the empty buildings across the street and several other landmarks which she believed could help her find them.

"Helen," Emily said.

"Yes, Emily. Any news?" Helen walked through the hallway of the Sanctuary.

"Yes." Her voice was filled with excitement and trepidation. "They're across the street from Lin's Cuisine. It's closed down. The building looks like it was a dry cleaners at one point, but I'm not sure. They're not doing well, Helen. Please find them quickly."

"Yes, Emily. Thank you." Helen hung up with Emily and quickly got her walkie talkie out. "Henry, Kate. We have a location on them. Meet me in my office."

Will sat in the chair, hands bound to the armrests. His left hand swollen, purple and throbbing. His ears were ringing. The room was dimly lit which he could no longer see clearly. It was difficult for him to breathe. Each breath he took in included a sharp pain. He doesn't remember how this happened.

Surveying the room, he could see that Sam was still lying next to him. Her face was expressionless. The pain he was feeling started to drift away. His head began to tingle, then his chest, he'd felt this before. It didn't take long before he could think clearly, then he realized it was from Sam. She was able to touch him with the tips of her fingers, attempting to heal him.

Will pulled away from her, not wanting to hurt her. He tried to say something; however the duct tape over his mouth stopped him. Sam reached her hand out as far as she could, trying to reach Will again.

Noises from the other room became louder. He could hear weapons firing. Before he was aware of what was happening, Helen was in the room with them. She came directly in front of Will, he motioned toward Sam. Helen went to her. She was still bound to the bed, staring at the ceiling. Helen removed the IV and the straps around her wrists. Kate and Henry entered the room, followed by Declan.

Henry ran to Sam. "Doc?" he asked, fearing the worst.

"I don't know. I need to find out what drugs they gave her," Helen said, heading to the table on the other side of the room. "This all needs to come back with us."

"Dude, you ok?" Kate asked as she assisted in untying Will from the chair. His hand still bruised however Sam had already started to heal it, so the swelling had gone down.

"Yea, I'll be fine." Will told Kate, rubbing his head with his right hand. He stood, swaying slightly. "How long have we been here?"

"Four and a half days." Kate said.

"Let's get you two out of here," Helen said. "Declan, would you get the stretcher?" He nodded, heading back to the van.

Henry stood by Sam, gently holding her hand.

"Sam?" he whispered to her. "You're safe now. They can't hurt anyone anymore." He was hoping to get a response; however, she continued to hold her gaze.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Helen looked at the information on the computer. The injuries that Will had sustained were extensive. He had sixteen fractures total in his left hand, two fractured ribs, a skull fracture, plus several burns and bruises. Helen was greatly impressed with the amount of healing that had happened already. Even though they were fresh wounds, they appeared to be several weeks old.

"I am quite impressed with this," Helen told Will. He sat on the chair in front of her.

"It's Sam," he started, "she tried to heal me before you came in. I made her stop before she was finished. How is she doing?" He turned to look at her; both David and Henry were sitting with her.

Sam was lying on the infirmary bed, unconscious. Helen had already checked her over several times. She was currently waiting for another test to be complete.

"They had her on several different drugs. I'm waiting for more test results. She has the same fractures as you do though. Is this from her trying to heal you?" Helen asked.

"Yea," Will turned back to Helen. "What happened to Gallagher?"

"He's in the SHU. I haven't decided what to do with him yet," she replied. "You are severely dehydrated; I want you to stay here for a while. We'll get an IV in you to quicken the process. You also need to take it easy for a couple weeks. Your hand may take longer to heal." The machine next to her beeped, letting her know that the latest test was complete. Helen looked at the results. "Just as I thought. Her system is purging itself of the drugs they had her on. It may take her a while, but she should be ok."

Helen walked to David and Henry. Neither had left her side.

"She should be fine. The latest tests show that she's improving. The drugs are leaving her system," she told David. "How does she usually heal herself when she's healed someone else?"

"Sleep. She will sleep until she's healed." David's face was full of compassion for his sister. He brushed her face gently with the back of his fingers. "You'll be ok Sam," he told her quietly.

"As long as she continues to improve, we can move her into a guest room. I'm sure she will sleep better there," Helen told him. "You may also be more comfortable there as well. You look exhausted."

"I'll be alright." David turned to Helen. "Thank you Dr. Magnus." He couldn't express his gratitude verbally to her. He stood up and hugged her, repeating himself again. "Thank you for bringing my sister back to me."

Helen's office was warm that evening. Will sat on the couch across from Helen. His left hand bandaged and braced. She opened the bottle of wine.

"I'm glad you made it home, I was beginning to get worried. Can you tell me what happened?"

Will scratched his head, "Gallagher had her torturing and killing people. If she didn't do what he said right away, well," he held up his broken hand, "he'd hurt me. Thing is, they didn't bring me in for a couple of days. I don't know what happened before that." He took a glass of wine from Helen. "I may need something a little stronger today."

"That may not be such a good idea. You've been dehydrated; you don't want to get alcohol poisoning."

"I know." Will looked at the fire burning in the fireplace. The smell was relaxing. He watched the flames jump across the log as they did in the cabin in Leadville. That seemed like such a long time ago now. He drank the wine down. "Gallagher really did a number on her." He leaned back against the couch, slouching a little to relax.

Helen offered more wine, when he accepted she refilled his glass.

"Go on," she listened.

"I don't know what kind of psychotropic or hallucinogenic drugs he used on her, but she couldn't do anything. It was as if she was paralyzed with fear." He quickly drank half the glass of wine. "Have you decided what to do with him yet?"

"Not yet. I can turn him over to the police, however, will he actually pay for all that he's done? I am unsure as of yet." Helen slipped her shoes off. Leaving them on the floor she brought her legs up in a crisscross position on the couch. Relaxing, she took a drink of her wine.

The evening had progressed without incident. Will felt much better after receiving fluids and eating, he was sure the wine helped, too. He still ached all over and his hand hurt slightly. However, he was better than he thought he would be that morning. The friends sat enjoying the bottle of wine together.

Will fell asleep holding half a glass of wine. Helen gently took the glass from his hand. He snuggled down on the couch, sound asleep. Not wanting to wake him3 she covered him with a blanket gently. Quietly, she sat down in the oversized leather chair across from him. She watched him sleep as she finished her glass of wine.

The guest room was dark, tiny rays of sunlight tried to peek through the long curtains. Sam lay on the bed sleeping. She was still recovering. Henry lay on one side of her, David on the other. Both men had stayed with her, neither wanting to leave her side.

The rays of sunlight glowed on David's face. Pealing his eyes open, he could see his sister still sleeping. The bruise on her face from the prior day was lighter, almost a yellow tinge. He could see Henry lying on the other side of her. He was curled up to Sam's back, one arm draped over her side.

Gently he removed himself from the bed. He knew that she would be hungry when she awoke, so he headed to the kitchen. Helen had allowed him full access to it since cooking seemed to relax him. He had been a basket case while his sister was missing. The kitchen was full of cakes, cookies; he made a stew, homemade pasta, plenty of food for days. He decided to make Sam her favorite breakfast, French toast.

After completing this meal for her, he returned to her room. Sam lay facing Henry now. Her eyes open staring at him while he slept. She could feel both of them while she slept, so she was not surprised when she awoke with him next to her. She heard her brother enter the room.

He smiled at her. "Hey," he brought the tray to the bed with him. Sitting next to her on the bed, he touched her hand gently. "How are you feeling?"

She shrugged.

Henry opened his eyes, waking to the activity in the room. "God! You look terrible," he joked. She gave him a slight smile. He sat up next to her. "Look chef David made you some breakfast. You'd better eat it or you'll hurt his feelings," he joked, trying to keep it light. Knowing that whatever she had been through, this was not the time for it.

Sam sat up in the bed. She ached even more as she sat against the headboard. Looking around the room, she could tell she was there for a couple days. There were several chairs with jackets and over shirts tossed on them.

David gave her the tray of food. It had been days since she'd eaten, she was famished. She began to feel uncomfortable as both David and Henry were worried. She ate her food slowly, knowing that both pairs of eyes were focused on her. She could not chance looking at either.

Henry decided to go clean up and eat now that he knew Sam was doing much better. This left time for David and Sam to talk.

"Sam," David started. "Really, are you ok?"

Sam lay back down on the bed. She turned away from her brother and curled up with the covers. She was not ready to talk to him. She lay, staring at the drapes on the window.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The sun beams brightened Helen's office with a warmth that only they could provide. It had been unusually quiet the past few days in the Sanctuary.

Will rubbed his head as he walked into Helen's office. Sitting on the couch he leaned back to relax for a moment.

Helen got up from her desk to join him on the couch. "How's your hand doing today?"

"It'll be fine," he deflected. "How is Sam doing?"

"I saw Henry a couple hours ago; he said she was awake and eating. I was headed to see her in a little while, care to join me?"

"Sure." Will stretched. He was glad to be home. The Sanctuary was definitely his new home. He felt more comfortable here now. His friends have become his family, with every little quirk that a family has. This family definitely had several.

The pair headed to the guest quarters where Sam was recovering from her ordeal. Both were aware that all that had happened over the last few days exhausted everyone. They also knew that this would not be an easy recovery for Sam emotionally. The physical aspects of her recovery would be much easier to heal from.

"May we come in?" Helen asked as she knocked on Sam's door. She could hear someone walking to the door.

David opened the door from the other side.

"Dr. Magnus, Will." He said. "Come in. Sam's in the shower. I'll let her know you're here." He walked to the adjoining door to the bathroom. The shower had already stopped. He knocked on the door, "Sam, Dr. Magnus and Will are here."

"Let her take her time. I just wanted to see how she's doing today." Helen said.

Before she could continue, the bathroom door opened. Sam walked out, towel wrapped around her head. She was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. She walked to her bag and pulled out a pair of socks. She sat down on the bed to put them on.

"How are you feeling today?" Helen asked sitting next to her.

Sam shrugged. "Fine." She finished putting her socks on. Nodding toward Will, she asked "How's your hand?"

"It'll be fine." Will could see that she was uneasy. She would not look directly at him; she avoided eye contact with everyone in the room.

"I am quite impressed with your healing ability. I'm sure he was much worse." Helen said motioning toward Will.

"I can finish if…"

"No!" David chimed in. "He can heal on his own!" She responded with a nod.

"He's quite right," Helen said, "you need to recover yourself."

"Besides, now I don't have to worry about paperwork," Will grinned, "I'm left handed."

With that said a smile came across Sam's face. He was alright. She knew that when they were with Gallagher, Will had been hit several times in the head with the fire extinguisher. When she healed him she could tell he had bleeding in his brain somewhere, but she was able to fix that first.

Taking the towel off her hair, she rubbed her hair with it to remove some water. "So, do I get to see anything else here, or do I have to stay in this room?" Sam asked while combing her hair out.

"Of course, you're not a prisoner here." Helen told her.

A slight smile came across Sam's face. Helen looked confused, unaware of Henry walking down the corridor toward the room. "Good, I'd love to see this place. Henry and Will have told us a lot about it." Her smile grew into a blush as Henry came around the corner of the door.

"Did someone forget to send me the memo about the party in here?" he said, announcing his presence in the room.

"That's what I forgot to do." Will replied without a thought.

"Well, I see that you are doing much better today." Helen said getting up from the bed. She headed toward the door. "Let me know if you need anything. Will, may I have your company for a while? There are a few things we need to discuss."

Helen and Will left the room, leaving Henry, David and Sam together.

"I'm thinking, lunch." David said to the others.

Both agreed. Sam put her hair in a pony tail and they were off to lunch together.

Helen and Will headed to the med lab.

"I'd like to go over some of these chemicals I found in Sam's system when I took her blood sample yesterday." She brought out a sample from the refrigerated cabinet. Placing a slide on the microscope she placed a drop of the blood on it to view. Helen focused on the droplet of blood and allowed Will to take a look.

"What am I looking for?" He asked.

"As you see, her blood looks normal; however, when I magnify it even more, you can see the discrepancies within the white blood cells." She continued, "I believe this is what allows her to heal others and herself."

Will looked at Helen, waiting for her to finish.

"The possibility of creating cures for many diseases is unbelievable."

"You're thinking about using her blood to find cures? Is it similar to the Source Blood?"

"No, not at all. Her white cells are intriguing. I would like to run some more tests to see if what the possible uses would be."

"I'm not sure you should do that. Sam's been through a lot." Will said remembering her blank stare from the previous days. "She's hiding something."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, she shows the signs of it. She was nervous when we were talking to her. Then as if nothing happened, she seemed fine. That's not right. There's something going on." 

"I suggest you get to the bottom of that then. I will continue to work on the sample I have. I would like to make sure there's nothing wrong with her, physically. I think it would be a good thing if you started some counseling sessions with her right away."

"I agree." Will watched Helen place the blood sample back into the refrigerated cabinet. "Please stop with the tests though; I don't think it's a good idea."

Helen raised her eyebrow, "I will not test her, only the blood sample I have."

Leaving David in the kitchen to prepare dinner, Sam and Henry headed toward the tech lab.

"David really likes to cook." Henry started.

"Yeah, he does." Sam replied. She could feel an evil presence, but it was not coming from Henry. Looking around she tried to figure out where it was coming from. She looked at Henry, brows furrowed. Her face full of anger and hate. "What is _he_ doing here?" Her chest felt tight, her breathing became fast and panicked.

Henry took her hand gently. "He won't be here long." He responded softly.

"Does David know?" She asked him trying to calm down.

"Yes."

"Ok," she breathed deeply. Sam tried to relax as she continued to walk with Henry toward his tech lab.

When they reached his lab, Henry had a few things he needed to work on for Helen. There was a problem with the EM field again. He needed to make sure it was working properly. There were a few other projects that he had left uncompleted when he headed to Colorado the week prior. Henry sat at his computer, to start a debug program.

"So, where's that comic you were talking about? I'd love to read it while you're working." Sam said.

"Cool." Henry had it sitting on the table next to him. He handed it to Sam. "Here ya go."

"Henry, is this place really what it seems like?"

"What'd you mean?"

"Is it really a good place to be?"

"Yeah, its home to so many of us."

"Never mind." She sat on the swivel chair next to the desk and opened the comic.

Henry sat confused, staring at her. "Never mind what?"

"I just feel so much anger and evil here." She looked at him; her eyes became large with fear. "David! It's David!" She began to panic, she could feel him clearly now. He was full of rage.

Henry looked at the security footage; David was no longer in the kitchen. He checked each working camera. Finally finding him in the SHU, just outside the room Gallagher was being held in. He was staring at Gallagher.

"Doc," Henry said into the walkie talkie. "We have a situation in the SHU."

"What is it Henry?" Helen replied.

"It's David. He's with Gallagher. There's a storm going on down there. A snow storm."

"On my way Henry."

Henry wanted Sam to stay in her quarters, however, she convinced him that he may need her help with her brother. Helen and Will had reached the SHU first.

"This is uncalled for!" She told David.

He was staring at Gallagher on the other side of the glass. The glass had frost on the inside, which was starting to freeze.

"He deserves to die!" David was full of anger. "How can you let him live when he killed so many?"

"It's not for us to decide David." Will started. "This is not the way to solve anything." Will walked toward David.

Gallagher stood in the room, shivering. An evil grin came across his face as he saw Sam appear with Henry.

"Hello my sweetie." Gallagher said to her.

Sam did not look at him. She focused on her brother.

"David," she started. "Please stop. I know you're angry at him, but you're better than he is."

"He needs to suffer." David told his sister.

"Samantha, let him finish." Gallagher said, egging David on. "He can do it, he can kill."

"Stop it!" Helen yelled at him. She headed out of the hallway for a moment.

The wind in the room picked up, ice began to form on the other items in the room. David moved his sister out of his way.

"I will finish it. He can't be allowed to do this to anyone else again." He was full of rage.

Sam could feel his anger, everyone's concern and most of all, Gallagher's pride. He stood there smiling at her. She could feel his gaze on her without looking at him.

"He's not worth it David." She grabbed both his arms. "Look at me." She ordered "I'm fine. It's not a big deal. It's over." She shook him hard. "Stop it David."

Helen returned with a sedative. She caught David off guard when she injected it in his arm. Sam still had a hold of him as he slowly fell to his knees. The room Gallagher was in began to warm up, the wind abruptly stopped as David collapsed.

"Knew he couldn't do it," Gallagher smiled slyly. "He's not at special as you are Samantha."

Sam felt a wave of nausea come over her. She could not control this feeling. As quickly as the feeling came, she fell to her knees and vomited. She continued until the contents in her stomach were emptied.

"I'm sorry," she said weakly.

Henry was already by her side helping her to her feet. "You ok?"

"I'm fine. I'm sorry." Sam's face was pale. The emotions of the room had overcome her. She tried to stand but found that the room was spinning. She grabbed Henry's arm to regain her balance. "Too many emotions." She looked at her brother. "Will he be ok?" She asked.

"Yes, he will be fine." Helen answered her. "I could not have him killing in my Sanctuary, not matter who it is he's trying to kill." She said looking at Gallagher.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Helen looked through the microscope at the test sample. Disappointed she leaned back in the chair. This was the third time she'd tested Sam's blood against a simple virus. She was hoping that the white cell abnormality would be able to cure the virus. Unfortunately, it did nothing. She finally decided that the answer must be within Sam, not just her blood.

There was a knock on the door of the lab, Sam stood in the doorway.

"Henry said you would have something for my headache," she said.

"Yes, please come in." Helen said getting up from the chair. "How long have you been feeling ill?"

"It's just a headache. It's nothing unusual. I get them when I'm overwhelmed, when I'm around a lot of people." She walked into the room.

"I see." Helen went to the medicine cabinet, unlocked it and retrieved acetaminophen for Sam. "How is David feeling?"

"He's fine." Sam didn't want to talk about what had happened the day before. "He slept in this morning. I'm sure that helped."

"Please let me know if your headache doesn't go away or gets worse." Helen handed Sam the medication. She sat back on the chair. "I was wondering if I could speak to you about your healing ability."

"Sure," Sam didn't mind the change in subject.

"I found something interesting in your white blood cells. I was hoping to find a way to synthesize your cells. They are amazing. You could be that answer to many diseases and viruses."

"Look, I'm not going to be a human guinea pig, so don't ask." Sam told her, knowing that Helen was excited about her find.

"I understand. I would like you to consider the option however; you may be able to save thousands."

"Fine, I'll think about it." Sam said quickly. "Thanks for the meds." She turned and left the room before Helen could say anything more.

Sam paced in her room. David had slept in her room again last night. He wouldn't leave her alone. Tonight he was not going to do that. She wanted to sleep, she felt overwhelmingly exhausted. She wanted to sleep until she couldn't sleep any longer. Staring out the window, she thought about the past week. How she had killed the man in the woods back home. If Will and Henry hadn't come to their cabin, would this have happened?

As she stood thinking about things, there was a knock on her door. She didn't answer. She stood staring out the window at New City. The knock continued, a little louder this time. She rolled her eyes, knowing that she'd better answer it. She already knew it was Will, just by the calmness in him. He always seemed to be calm for some reason. Not surprised about the things that went on around them.

"Yes?" She said coldly.

"We need to talk," he said walking into the room.

"Now what?" she walked to the bed and flopped down on it.

"You need to talk about what happened."

"No I don't." 

"It will help you feel better if you talk about it." Will closed the door behind him. She could feel that he was determined and was afraid of something.

"What do you want me to tell you?" She raised her voice. She was getting angry.

"Let's start with what happened before they brought me into the room with you."

"Nope." Sam never wanted to return to that time in her mind. She was already angry today, this was going to be difficult, she could already tell. She could still feel Gallagher's presence.

"Alright, how are you feeling about what happened?"

"I'm fine," she said bluntly.

"That's not an answer." Walking to the chair by the bed, Will sat down, he asked her again. "How do you feel about it, really?"

"It doesn't matter, it's over." She felt rage building inside her. Was this from Gallagher or was this her own anger. She was having a hard time distinguishing the emotions around her. She turned away from Will.

"Sam, you hurt people," he said softly.

"I know what I did!" She stood up, walked across the room and stared at the wall.

"We need to talk about that."

"Go away!" She growled at him.

"Not until we talk about this." He tried to stay calm.

Sam grabbed the closest thing to her, David's bag and threw it at Will. He jumped off the chair.

"Hey!"

"I said go away!" Sam was angry. She picked up her bag and threw it in his direction, missing him on purpose.

"No, I'm not leaving."

Henry was walking down the hall toward Sam's room when he heard the commotion. He could hear Sam yelling at someone. He ran down the hall to see what was wrong. There was a crash, glass breaking. Before he reached the door there was another thud, this time it was against the door itself. Rushing into the room, he opened the door.

He saw Sam standing across the room with another lamp in her hand. She was ready to throw it at the door again. Henry noticed Will standing on the other side of the door. Henry heard the glass crunching under his shoes as he walked into the room.

"What's going on in here?" he asked. "Sam what's the matter?"

"Get out of my room!" she demanded. "Leave me alone!" The lamp left her hand, flew across the room and hit the dresser next to Henry. He jumped away from the shattering glass and ceramic pieces.

"You need to calm down," Will said, walking toward Sam.

"No! You need to leave!" she yelled.

"Dude, what'd you say to her?" Henry said, looking at Will.

"Nothing." Will continued to walk toward Sam. Henry walked around the other direction. They knew what she was capable of, but didn't expect her to turn on them. "Look at me Sam. It's alright. You're safe here. No one's going to hurt you."

"He's still here. I can feel him." Sam said slowly. She turned toward the window. Both Henry and Will took this opportunity to move closer to Sam. They were within reach of her, but chose not to touch her.

"I can't…" she paused.

"What?" Will said. "You can't what?"

"Nothing," she said quietly. Henry placed his hands on her shoulders. She turned to face him. Burying her face in his chest, she sobbed. He held her tight, allowing the tears to flow.

Henry looked over the scans again. The security cameras showed everything was fine, but there was a new flux in the EM shield for a split second. He wondered if Druitt had tried to teleport into the Sanctuary. There was no sign of him anywhere though. 

"Doc," he said into the walkie talkie. "Something is showing up on our security scans."

"Please tell me it's not Druitt." She replied.

"No, no sign of him." Henry continued to scan the Sanctuary for anything unusual. "I can see a new heat signature in the courtyard, but there's nothing on the cameras. Want me to go check it out?"

"Yes, Henry. Take Kate with you as well. Watch your back."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Dude," Kate was exasperated. "There's nothing out here."

"I know I saw something." Henry kept looking around the courtyard. Kate walked along with him, relaxing now that they have found nothing. "There's got to be something out here."

"Well, it's not here now." Kate was tired of looking. They had been outside looking through the grounds for over an hour now, and found nothing unusual. "This is ridiculous." She holstered her weapon.

"Ok, ok!" Henry rubbed his head; he was sure he saw something. "Fine. We looked."

"Finally!" Kate turned to walk inside.

As the two walked toward the entryway of the Sanctuary, a swarm of gnats lingered in the air near their faces.

"These are so annoying." Kate said swatting at the bugs. Unknown to her several took up a resting place in her hair as they continued inside.

Reaching Helen's office, Kate and Henry entered to deliver the news of their search to Helen. They sat in the chairs in front of Helen's desk as she drank her warm tea. She was attempting to take a break from the paperwork she was now taking care of for her injured friend. Soon enough Will would be able to write again, then he would return to caring for his own forms. Even though she preferred reading her handwriting over his, she viewed his as chicken scratches on the paper.

"Nothing!" Kate exclaimed. "There's nothing out there."

Helen could tell that Kate was tired of looking for nothing outside. She would rather help deliver meals to the abnormals living in the Sanctuary, than look for nothing.

"Well, Henry, I would like you to continue with another sweep of the grounds. Recheck your scans from earlier as well." Helen stated picking up the folder on her desk.

"Sure Doc." Henry and Kate stood up to leave the room.

"Kate, would you please take a meal down to Mr. Gallagher. We may not like him, but we will not be starving him. The Big Guy should have it ready in a few minutes."

"Sure thing Doc." Kate swung herself around and strutted out the door. "I guess I get to feed the monster in the basement today." She mumbled as the two separated.

Kate headed to the kitchen where a tray was ready for Gallagher. They had chosen to feed him very basic requirements, but enough to survive while he was here. Kate looked at the tray of food. There was a sandwich, apple and water bottle, no silverware, nothing he could use as a weapon.

When she reached the SHU, she walked toward the doorway of his enclosure. Even though he was not an abnormal, they chose to keep him secluded away from everyone. Unlatching the opening in the door, she slid the tray of food into the room. She saw several gnats flying around the apple; however, instead of swatting them away this time, she left them to enjoy his apple.

"Care to join me?" Gallagher sang from behind the window.

"I don't think so," she grunted.

"You're so beautiful though. I might be willing to give up Samantha for you." He nagged. Kate turned and walked away, headed back upstairs.

Will leaned back in the chair behind his desk. Rubbing his head with his uninjured hand, he looked at Sam.

"Do you think we can avoid throwing things today?" he said lightly to Sam.

She sat on the chair in front of his desk. She didn't answer. David had fored her to come to Will's office. She would rather stay in her room. She stared off at the wall resting her head on her hand.

Will assessed her visually. Watching her mannerisms, posture, gaze, avoidance of eye contact and general appearance, he could see that she was closing off from him and everyone around her. He wanted to help her deal with what happened to them before she put any more blame on herself.

"Tell me how David is doing," Will started.

She shrugged her shoulders, not answering.

Will leaned forward, placing his elbows on the desk, leaning on his right hand.

"You really need to talk. I was there. I know what happened. I know what he had you do."

Sam looked at Will. "I know you were there Will, but you weren't the one killing those people." She spoke softly, in almost a whisper.

Will walked to the chair next to Sam. Sitting down, he placed his hand on hers. "I know, this is why we need to talk about it."

She pulled away quickly. Shaking her head, she couldn't vocalize anything. She sat looking at the window. She could tell that Will was genuinely concerned about her well being, however, she did not want to discuss any of this.

"Ok, I can see we're not going to get anywhere in here." He stood up. "Come on." He motioned for her to get up. "Let's go."

Sam looked confused. She stood up, wondering what he was up to. He took her hand and led her out of the room. He didn't say anything, he kept walking. Reaching the elevator, he pressed the button.

"We're going to go face our fears. He did this to both of us. I don't know about you, but I'm mad and angry." He paused when the elevator opened. "Let's go deal with this face to face."

Sam was still confused, but could feel that he had a plan. She followed him into the elevator. Neither said a word as they headed to the SHU.

"Henry, have you found anything more out about the glitch in the security issue we had earlier today?" Helen asked walking into his tech lab.

"Oh, hey doc," He said looking up from his computer. "I've looked at everything but can't find it again." He picked up the computer tablet, handing it to her he pointed out a few items on it. "This shows that there was a small fluxuation in the EM shield and in the computers. It makes no sense."

"I see." Helen paused, "please notify me if you see anything else unusual."

"Sure." Henry went back to what he was working on as Helen left the room.

Will and Sam entered the hallway of the SHU. Sam froze, she could not continue. She shook her head at Will.

"No," she whispered at him.

He took her hand gently.

"I'm here with you, he can't do anything." He guided her toward the window of his encasement. Reluctantly, she followed. "Now, look at him." He told her as they stood several feet from the window.

She couldn't bring her eyes off the floor. Will watched her closely.

"He can't do anything to you. He's locked in there."

"He's right my sweetie," Gallagher piped in. "If I were within your reach, you would feel more than my emotions."

"Just ignore him," Will said. "What are you afraid of from him?" Will could tell she was frozen in her own fear. "Look at him. He's helpless in there. He can't hurt you."

"Yes, Samantha," Gallagher teased. "I cannot do anything in this cage. You can come; let me out so we can continue where we left off. You are still mine. You will be mine forever."

"Remember, he's done controlling you. You are in control now." Will was fighting for her to keep focused on his words, on his emotions.

Finally, she looked up at Will and nodded slightly.

"I understand." Turning to face the window, she slowly raised her gazed toward Gallagher.

"He's nothing," Will reminded her. "What is he feeling?"

She shook her head at him. Gallagher was staring into her eyes deeply. She could feel every emotion in him, from the evil so prevalent, fear, anger, hurt, love and passion. She did not want to share what he was feeling with Will. She turned to leave; as she did she grabbed the back of her head with both hands and winced in pain.

"Sam? What's wrong?" She did not reply. "Sam?"

From behind Will, he heard an ear piercing scream. He knew right away it was Gallagher. Will turned to look at the man. Behind the glass he grabbed his head and fell to his knees. Blood trickled from his nose and ears. Will watched from the hall as this man who previously tormented himself and Sam fell completely to the ground and ceased to breathe.

Turning back to Sam, he saw that she was now on her knees, in pain. He ran to hit the alarm button by the door.

Within minutes they were surrounded. Helen made it there first, followed by the Big Guy, Henry and Declan. Will knelt over Sam; she sat on the floor in tears, still holding her head.

"What happened?" Helen asked.

"I don't know, she just grabbed her head and fell. Then Gallagher did the same. I don't think he's alive." Will explained.

"Hey," Henry said lightly as he squatted down by Sam, "what's going on?"

Holding the back of her head she looked up at Henry, tears filled her eyes. "He's gone," she whispered, "he's finally gone." Blood dripped from her nose. Wincing in pain, the room spun. Her eyes pleaded with Henry. He wrapped his arms around her as she collapsed.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Helen knelt beside Sam and checked her vitals. Her pulse was racing, her breathing was shallow and her complexion was extremely pale.

"Get her to the infirmary!" Helen told Declan and Henry. She went to check Gallagher. His naturally pale skin was now ashen. Checking for a pulse, she found none. He was dead, just as Sam said. Helen wondered what happened. She was aware of what Sam had done while under Gallagher's control and medications. Could she have done this as well?

"I want you to tell me what happened here," Helen said to Will, who stood beside her.

Feeling at fault, he explained, "I was hoping that if she could confront him, to help her heal." He paused. "She didn't speak to him at all, even with his tauntings."

"I'm going to the infirmary to find out what happened to her. She doesn't look good. Would you and the Big Guy please move Mr. Gallagher to my lab so I can complete an autopsy? We need to find the cause of his death, no matter what it was."

"Of course," Will said. They did as Helen requested. Even with his healing hand, Will still managed to help maneuver the gurney carrying Gallagher to the morgue.

Helen reached the infirmary only moments after Declan and Henry had brought Sam in. She lay on a bed, unconscious. Helen checked her eyes and became concerned, as they were slightly dilated. Sam's pulse was still rapid and weak. She quickly drew some blood for further testing.

Helen spent the next several hours testing Sam for many different ailments. An MRI showed a shadow in Sam's brain. She focused on this. Believing that she could have been infected by a virus or possibly the same thing that Gallagher had died from, she decided she needed to get the autopsy done soon.

Sitting over the microscope looking at samples of Sam's blood, Helen yawned. She could hear Sam beginning to stir on the bed. Leaving the samples where they were, she walked to Sam's bed.

Sam opened her eyes and immediately felt dizzy. She grabbed her head making sure she really wasn't spinning out of control. The room was quiet, although she knew she was not alone. She could feel another presence by her. It was calm and curious. Slowly she opened her eyes again, the room no longer spinning. She saw Helen standing next to her bed.

"Sam, how are you feeling?" Helen asked.

Sam looked at Helen and replied, "Just a little dizzy. My head hurts a little too." She rubbed the back of her head where a dull ache continued.

"Please tell me what happened."

Sam looked around the room, hoping her brother would be there. Why wasn't David or Henry there? One of them had always been there when she woke up.

"Where's David? Is he ok?" Sam seemed confused.

"He's fine. Henry's with him," she paused, "please tell me what happened."

Taking pause to think, she tried to remember what had happened as clear as she could.

"Will took me to confront Patrick, I mean Gallagher. When I turned to leave, all I felt was pain. It was excruciating. I thought someone was stabbing my head. Then I could feel his pain, then nothing." She looked up at Helen. "He's dead, isn't he? I don't feel him anymore."

"Yes, Mr. Gallagher is dead." Helen nodded. "I have to ask, did you have anything to do with his death?"

Thinking to herself she ran through what happened. Shaking her head, she replied, "No, I don't think so." She said. "It's a little fuzzy right now. I wanted him to die. I hate him. But I don't think I did that." A wave of panic came over her. "What if I did? What if I killed him and didn't realize it? Could I have done that?"

"Calm down. I'm sure we'll figure this out. I'll be doing an autopsy to find the cause of his death." Helen paused, changing the subject. "Do you know why you fainted?"

Shaking her head, she replied, "No. My head just hurt so much. I've never felt anything like it before."

"Is it hurting now?"

"Nothing like it was earlier. I still have a headache, here," she reached to the back of her head, "in the back."

"I found something on your MRI. I'm not sure what it is yet. For now I want you to rest. You seem to heal quickly when you're able to sleep."

"Yeah, that's usually how it seems to work." Sam shivered. "It's kind of cold in here; could I have a blanket or two?"

"Of course, would you be more comfortable in your room?" Helen asked.

Sam shrugged. "Well, then when David and Henry return why don't we have them help you to your room. I'm sure one of them will stay with you until you recover. However," she paused, "if you feel any sharp pains again, you alert me right away. I will continue here then do the autopsy."

"K," Sam said bundling herself into the covers. She watched Helen bring her another blanket and covered her with it, trying to help her warm up. Slowly Sam dozed off to sleep.

"_I knew you couldn't stay far from me, Samantha," Gallagher smiled at her. "Perfect timing as well. You and I can have some fun before we get to work." He slithered his way next to her. _

_She was in a room alone with him. She sensed the yearnings for her filling his mind, and it made her nauseous. _

"_Don't worry Baby; I'll take care of you." He placed his lips on hers; she automatically reacted by biting him back. "Shame on you. You know I have your friend. If anything happens to me, your friend will die." Kneeling down in front of her he placed his hands on hers. _

_Terrified, she sat still saying nothing. She wanted to fight. She wanted to run, but couldn't. She knew they had Will. She knew Gallagher would kill him if she didn't obey him. _

_He slid his hand up her arm, touching her face. He grabbed her jaw, and grinned when she winced in pain. He kissed her harder this time. _

Helen jumped up from her work when she heard Sam scream. She saw Sam pulling the IV tubing and wires attached to her.

"It's ok Sam," Helen told her as she tried to help her calm down. She knew that Sam could feel her emotions and she needed to stay calm. "Sam, you're alright."

"Get away! No!" Sam was screaming and continued waving her arms, trying to fight off Helen. It only took a moment for her to realize that it was only a nightmare. She was back in the Sanctuary. She was safe from Gallagher. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Sam, sit back," Helen spoke gently. "It was only a dream, it's over now. You're safe."

Sam leaned back as Helen raised the bed. "I'm sorry," she whispered. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Have you been having nightmares often?" Helen asked.

Sam turned away, staring at the door. She hoped David or Henry, or anyone would walk in to avoid this conversation.

"It wouldn't be unusual if you were. You have been through a lot over the past two weeks."

As if David knew she had wanted his company, he appeared in the doorway. Sam could feel the relief he felt as he saw her.

"Come in David," Helen told him. "We were just talking."

"Sam, you ok?" He asked his sister.

"I'll be fine. Just a headache," she said. "Dr. Magnus said I can go rest in my room, but someone needs to be with me."

"She's fine?" he asked Helen.

"Yes, however, I am still waiting for some results. I'd like to do another MRI before she returns to her room to rest," Helen explained.

When they were done with the MRI, Helen allowed David to take Sam back to her room. Settling into her bed, Sam bundled up with the covers. She was glad to be in her room, away from most everyone. She knew she would still have to have company, but it was alright since David always let her sleep and if Henry came to sit with her, she would feel just as safe.

"Do you need anything?" David asked his sister.

"No, I'm fine." Sam yawned. Hoping for sleep instead of dreams, she closed her eyes and drifted into a deep slumber.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Helen stood over the body of Patrick Gallagher. She had not yet completed the autopsy when Bigfoot entered the room.

"Find a cause?" He asked.

"No, not yet." She had exposed the skull and brain. Fingering the residue with her gloved hands, she continued her work. "However, I have found something extraordinary. He has substantial damage to his brain." She gathered samples of the gelatin type substance she recovered.

"Have you eaten?" He asked her.

Helen shook her head.

"Would you mind?" She had completed the autopsy and needed to stitch up Gallagher's body before she returned to her the rest of her work. Once this portion was complete, she could analyze the substance she found.

"Very well." Bigfoot headed to the kitchen to make her some food.

Helen delved herself back into her work.

"I've never seen anything quit like this." She continued to record her findings. "It looks is though his brain tissue was solidified. There is a gelatin type substance where the cerebellum and occipital lobe should be. There is also damage to his temporal lobe, with slight damage to the parietal." She sighed deeply. "It looks like his brain was put in a blender." She turned her head to stretch her neck. She did her best to remove all tissue that might be involved, including his brain stem. Once this was complete it was time to put Gallagher back together and go over the findings.

When she arrived in her smaller lab with a tray full of blood and tissue samples, and Gallagher's brain, she found a meal waiting for her. She placed the tray down on the counter. Sitting at the other counter she ate the Cobb salad the Big Guy had brought her. There was fresh hot tea waiting as well. It was nice to take a break for a few moments, but she knew that wouldn't last. There was much work to be done. She needed to find a cause for Gallagher's death. She was hoping to find some reason for his death, hoping it wasn't Sam's doing.

As Helen worked diligently, she ran every test she could think of on the tissue samples. She found that the gelatin substance was indeed his brain matter, it had changed however. Yawning over the microscope, Will entered the room.

"How's it looking?" he asked.

"I have found something quite interesting. When I removed Mr. Gallagher's skull, I found his brain to have damage unlike anything I've ever seen. His brain tissue turned into a new, gelatin type substance. I am analyzing the tissue further." She paused. "I hope to have an answer soon. I still need to rule out Sam assisting in his death."

"Did you find anything out from Sam earlier?" Will said leaning back on the counter.

"I know she's hiding something. She called him by his first name, Patrick. No one has referred to him in this manner." Helen said looking back into the microscope after changing slides. "This is so fascinating. His brain matter has completely changed structure." Looking up at Will she noticed him staring off. "You ok?"

"Yeah, just trying to figure out what she could be hiding." He paused gathering his thoughts. "So, what you have found? Does it rule her out yet?"

"Unfortunately not. I'm not sure what she is fully capable of doing. Since I was unable to do autopsies on the people that died from Gallagher's doing, I do not know how she does it." She looked at the computer analysis of the blood work she'd processed. "It looks like he was deprived of oxygen for a short time before he died, but I'm not positive that is the cause."

"I think you need a break. You've been working on this all day now." Will said seeing that she showed signs of fatigue.

"I need to finish this first. If she is a threat to us, we need to know."

"I don't think she's a threat."

"That may be, however, we need to be sure." Helen retrieved another sample from the tray she had brought in several hours earlier. Slipping it into the proper slot, she looked at the sample through the microscope. Shaking her head she leaned back, "That's not right." She said taking a second look. "Ok, you're right. I need a break." She leaned back. "A short walk is defiantly in order to clear my mind."

"Glad you've changed your mind," Will said. They exited the lab and walked toward her office.

The halls of the Sanctuary were quiet as it was evening now. Helen hadn't realized how much time had passed while she was in her lab. The sun had set already and the sounds of night were all a buzz. She was pleased to know that the rest of the Sanctuary was running smoothly. This would be her biggest concern this evening.

"Magnus, what happened to Sam? Do you know why she was in so much pain?" Will asked as they entered her office.

"I found a mass on the first MRI I took earlier, however, it looked different on the second one, and it was actually smaller." She sat on the couch, the fire was already burning. "I will need to run more tests. Have you talked to her today?"

"She was sleeping when I stopped in earlier to check on her. Henry and David were both there. They said she has slept most of the day." Will leaned up against one of the large leather chairs across from the couch. "They seem to be taking good care of her."

"I'm glad." Helen stared at the fire for a moment. "What happened in Leadville? Henry won't leave her side."

Rubbing his head, he raised his eyebrows and explained, "I told you we were fired at, Henry was shot." Helen looked shocked. "Yes, Sam healed him. They had spent the morning together; I think Henry has feelings for her. Serious feelings."

"I came to the same conclusion. While you were gone I had to make up things for him to keep busy, he was extremely worried about her." She leaned back on the couch. "I definitely needed a few minutes to clear my head. I was beginning to see things." 

"What did you see?"

"I saw an insect in the slide. Bloody ridiculous! Why would there be an insect in brain matter?" Helen shook off the idea. Contemplating what happened to Gallagher, she closed her eyes for a few moments.

Opening the door to the courtyard, a smell of fresh cut grass filled the air around David. He felt he needed some fresh air and the courtyard was the place for him to go. He had done enough cooking for a while; it was time to be outside with his friends.

He walked along the garden listening to the evening sounds. In the middle of the garden there was a small pond. Sitting on the ground next to the pond, he closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of the evening. It wasn't home, but it was close enough.

The four ducks in the pond moved closer to him, as did several frogs and toads. David emitted such peace around him that the animals were not afraid of him. They were joined by some squirrels, rabbits and field mice. Stretching out on the grass, he opened his eyes to look at the stars. The sky was clear tonight, as if it knew how pleased he was to have his sister safe. Stars twinkled and lightening bugs flew by him, adding to his delight.

David chose to join the local wildlife and allowed himself to relax. Everything seemed to be working itself out. He was looking forward to returning to their cabin in Leadville. He closed his eyes and listened to the animals around him.

"Ya know your bed inside might be more comfortable." Said a voice from above him.

He opened his eyes to see Kate standing over him.

"Oh, hey." He said sitting up, smiling.

"Whatcha doin'?" she asked.

"Listening."

"Listening?" She said raising her eyebrow. "To what?"

"Everything," he paused. "Haven't you ever done that?"

"Can't say that I have."

"Here, sit down." He patted the ground next to him. "I'll show you."

Reluctantly, she sat down. "Oh-Kay."

"Now, close your eyes." The expression on her face told him right away that she thought he was nuts. "It's ok, really."

Rolling her eyes, she sighed and closed her eyes.

"Ok, tell me what you smell."

"Cars."

"Anything else?" he watched her make faces while she was thinking.

"Grass."

"Is that a good smell?"

"Yeah, reminds me of summer."

"Ok, what else do you smell?"

"The firewood burning inside." She opened her eyes, questioning him with her expression.

"It's good, really," he paused. "Close your eyes. What do you hear?"

"Cars."

David snickered. "Ok, what else?" 

"There's a bus, smelly truck and a frog."

"Good, now we're getting somewhere. What other animals do you hear?"

"Geese." 

"Is that good?"

"No, reminds me of when my dad took me to Lake Michigan when I was a kid. We got attacked by some geese." She looked at him; he had a big grin on his face, trying not to laugh.

"Come on, keep listening," he told her. "Relax, what else do you hear?"

"Birds," she paused as she listened to the night sounds around her. "There's crickets."

"Ok, focus on the crickets."

"What am I listening for?" She was wondering what he wanted her to hear.

"They're singing to you. Can you hear it?"

"What? Singing to me?"

"Yeah, listen." She sat quietly listening to the crickets. They did seem to have a pattern to their chirps.

"Yeah, I guess I can hear them singing." She opened her eyes. She saw a huge smirk on his face. "What?"

Clearing the smirk off his face, he gained his composure, "They're singing just for you." He could no longer hold his expression and burst out laughing. "Ok, they weren't singing to you."

Kate smacked him in the head sharply. She rolled her eyes at him. "Thanks." She began to get up.

"I'm sorry, they really are singing, I just don't know if it's to you or not." He apologized, feeling ashamed of himself. "I was just having fun."

She sat back down. "Ok, so what are you really doing out here?"

"Listening. Everyone is at peace here. It's so relaxing."

"So, you know what the animals think?"

"No, just how they're feeling. Right now, they are all really content. It's so cool." He looked back up at the stars. "Look," he pointed up, "the lightening bugs, they're dancing with the music from the crickets."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Opening her eyes, the dim light caught Helen's attention in the room. How long had she fallen asleep? It couldn't have been too long. Shifting on the couch, she found herself to be covered with a blanket. Looking at her watch, she found it to be 2 hours later than when she sat down. Figuring that Will covered her and let her sleep, she turned to get off the couch. That's when she saw Will asleep on the leather chair across from her. She walked over and gently covered him with the same blanket.

As to not wake him, she left the room quietly, returning to her lab. Everything was where she had left it a couple hours before. Feeling refreshed she returned to the situation at hand, trying to find a cause of death of Patrick Gallagher.

Looking at the slide she previously looked at, she realized that she was not seeing things. There was indeed an insect on the slide. This insect was in the brain matter that she had collected earlier. She magnified it even more. At this point she realized that it wasn't really an insect, just in the form of one.

"This is magnificent!" She exclaimed. She analyzed it even further. Upon further analysis, she came to the conclusion that this "insect" was man-made.

Will came into the room rubbing his head some time later.

"Thought I'd find you here." He said.

"Look at this," she told him.

Looking into the lenses he could see a small bug like structure. She magnified it. He could now see the mechanical parts to the bug.

"Whoa. That looked like a bug at first." He stepped back from the microscope.

"Mr. Gallagher was murdered, but not by Sam. This looks like a type of nanite. I've never seen this before. It's amazing technology. I believe it's programmed for a specific person. I need to analyze it more to find out what it was programmed for. It probably came in as a bug, I believe a gnat."

Kate came into the lab.

"Hey Doc, what's this about gnats?" she asked.

"I believe Mr. Gallagher was killed by a nanite in the form of a gnat."

"So it was a bug that killed him?" she asked. "There were a swarm of gnats outside after Henry thought something was on the grounds. They were also around the apple I gave Gallagher earlier." 

"I'm hoping to find out how they were programmed. Possibly what they were programmed for as well." Helen looked back into the lenses of the microscope. "Kate, would you go ask Henry to come here. I would like his assistance with this. This is right up his alley; he might very well be engrossed in this for some time."

"Sure doc, I just wanted to let you know that Declan received word from the Tokyo Sanctuary and needed to speak to you about something." Kate said.

"Very well, thank you." Helen retrieved another sample from the table. Placing this slide under the microscope she saw three more nanites in this array of brain matter. "This is completely unbelievable!" She exclaimed out loud.

"Find more?" Will asked leaning against the counter.

"Yes, we need to find out as much as we can about this." She looked up from the sample she was looking at. Her feelings of excitement were obvious. "Can you imagine the implications of this one tiny nanite? The possibilities are enormous!"

"Magnus, I think you need to let Sam know what you found. At least that she's no longer a suspect in Gallagher's death."

"I would like to continue with this work, would you advise her?"

"Sure, be glad to." Will moved away from the counter. "Since you need Henry's help, I'll go talk to her now then. Catch her before she goes to bed for the night."

"Alright, thank you Will." Helen said not looking up from her work.

It had been just over a week since the death of Gallagher, the Sanctuary was slowly returning to a normal routine. Helen continued her search for the one responsible for the nanites. Trying to decipher their technology had proven to be quite difficult. She kept Henry busy running one scenario after another. This gave time for David and Sam to adjust and create their own routines.

It was like any other morning; Sam entered Will's office for their regular appointment. Will felt they were beginning to make progress as Sam was finally opening up to him. He now understood how the emotions around her played a major part in who she was. He made sure he was calm and collected before they started their sessions. Today especially, he wanted to target on events that she had been unwilling to discuss.

"Come in Sam," Will motion for her to join him in the nook of his office. She sat on the loveseat, across from Will. "How are you today?" Watching her, he waited patiently for her to answer.

"Alright." Sam was not in the best of moods today. She seemed distracted.

"What's on your mind?" He asked shifting in his seat.

"David wants to go home."

"What do you want?" Will was concerned; he did not feel she was ready to return home.

"I don't know." She shrugged.

"Do you feel safe here?"

"Yeah," she looked out the window, hoping to escape for a time. "It's been easier here than I thought it would be. There's not as many people as I thought there would be. Most of the abnormals here I don't connect with. I haven't felt anything threatening since," she paused and looked at the floor, "Patrick Gallagher."

"Why do you call him by his first name?" Was she ready to talk about this yet? He wasn't sure, but wanted to find out.

Rubbing her head with her hands, she looked at Will. "I knew him a long time ago, before he worked for the Cabal," she paused. "Look, I don't want to talk about that."

"What would you like to talk about?"

"Nothing." Sam stood and tried to exit the room.

Standing up, Will grabbed her with his right hand.

"No, you're not getting out of this. Please sit down." He held onto her arm tight enough to stop her from leaving. To her surprise, he was still calm.

Sitting back down, Will could see the anger growing in her face. Changing the subject he asked, "How have you been sleeping? Are you still having nightmares?"

She just stared at the floor. She did not want to talk any longer.

"I take that as a yes." Will knew he needed to be patient with her. He knew that she could sense his emotions and decided he could do it; he could be patient and wait until she was ready to deal with everything. "Do you remember your dreams?"

She shook her head, "Not really. All I remember is the emotion when I wake up."

"I think you should start a dream journal. When you wake up write down whatever you can remember from your dreams, whether they are good or bad. Include the emotions you feel as well," he explained. "Do you think you could do that?"

"Yes." She considered the idea he suggested. "I don't know what good it will do if I can't remember them."

"Trust me, it will help." They continued their session talking about lighter topics.

"Come on Doc, we've been at this for three days. I need a break." Henry complained. Scratching his head, he leaned against the counter. "I don't know where to go from here."

"Henry, I understand you would rather be somewhere else right now, however, I need your assistance with this." Helen was tired herself. They had been working on the nanites programming without any solution. "Give me until dinner, then you can be done for the day."

"It's already dinner time."

"Do you have plans?" She questioned. A sly smile crossed his face. "With Sam?"

"Yeah, with Sam."

"Are you sure you want to get involved with someone right now? You're just beginning to understand the changes in yourself."

"Doc, this is different." He tried to explain. "Nothing like I've ever felt before."

Helen stood up from the chair.

"Very well, we will resume tomorrow morning at 9. Please do not be late." She started closing up her work for the night.

"Thanks Doc." Henry left the room, glad to be off for a few hours.

Helen continued packing the specimens of nanites up into their individual containers. Will swung around the corner of the door.

"Hey, I saw Henry headed out of here. You guys done for today?" He asked.

"Yes, I think we both need a break from this for the evening." She turned off the lights.

"Want to join me for some dinner?" Will offered. "I was just headed to the kitchen."

"Sounds lovely."

Reaching the kitchen, the aroma of lasagna and garlic bread filled the air.

"Smells like David is cooking tonight," Helen said.

She was correct. David had made some homemade lasagna and garlic bread. He had made enough for everyone to enjoy. Henry and Sam were already there, as well as Declan, Big Guy and Kate.

"Well, isn't this quite the scene?" Helen stated when they entered the kitchen. "It looks like you are quite the chef David."

"I had help today, Kate helped me out." He wanted to make sure they knew she helped with dinner.

"Loose a bet?" Will asked Kate snickering.

She glared at him.

"Did you want to stay since everyone is here?" Henry asked Sam.

"No, there's too many people here." She said quietly to him. They each made themselves a plate and headed to their quiet meal together.

Everyone else drifted into the dining room for dinner.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The weekend had gone by quickly. Helen and Henry continued to work on the nanites. By Sunday night they had found a signature on them, unfortunately, they did not know whose signature it was. They did learn that the nanites shut down after they completed their task.

Helen sat in her office entering information in her computer regarding their findings. They had learned much over the last two days. She had many files open on her desk. She went back and forth from her desk to the computer. Making notes on several different pages.

Unaware of the time, she had been working steadily for hours. The fire started to dwindle into a low glow. Stretching, she stood up to add another log on the fire. As she walked toward the fire, there was a recognizable flash behind her. She knew right away that it was John. Somehow he had gotten through the EM shield. She needed to have Henry check that again.

"What the devil?" Helen exclaimed turning around.

"Now is that how you greet an old friend?" John Druitt replied.

"What are you doing here John?"

John opened his long coat, he exposed his bloodstained shirt.

"I was hoping you could help me." Swaying, he grabbed at the desk next to him. He quickly sat in the leather chair in front of the desk.

"Oh dear!" she exclaimed. Grabbing we walkie talkie out of the desk drawer she called Will and Henry to her office. "What happened John?"

"Just a small scuffle," he said coldly.

She lifted his shirt to look at the wound. He had several long cuts on his right side.

"Small scuffle? This doesn't look like a small scuffle to me." She told him.

Within moments they were joined by Henry and Will.

"What is _he_ doing here?" Henry said.

"Never mind that, Henry. Will you two please help him into the infirmary?" Helen was not going to put up with any bickering from either of them.

Helen followed them to the infirmary. Will on one side of John, Henry on the other. John's lanky figure stood much taller than either of them; however, he had lost enough blood that he was becoming weak. Upon entering the infirmary, they helped John lay on a gurney. Helen quickly took to caring for his injuries.

"Henry, you need to go find out why he was able to teleport in here." She demanded as she continued stitching his wounds.

"On my way." Henry replied heading to the tech lab.

"Magnus, why is he here?" Will asked, staying with her.

"I do not know." She could see the coloring returning to his pale complexion. "I'm sure we will find out soon enough." She finished cleaning up his side. Taping gauze over the wounds, he flinched to her touch.

"My dear, that tickles." He said looking up at her.

"John, what happened?"

He didn't flinch from the pain as he sat up on the gurney. "My dear Helen, thank you for your medical assistance." He was trying to be polite.

It had been several months since she had spoken to him. Recalling their last conversation was on Ashley's birthday. It was a difficult day for both of them to get through.

"What do you want Druitt?" Will prodded.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" John snipped. "I prefer to speak with Helen alone."

Helen nodded at Will, who followed her lead and left the room. He chose not to go far; he stood in the hallway by the door.

"Now John, tell me what's going on." She told him.

"I believe that the Cabal is attempting to mend its wounds."

"Meaning?"

"They are joining forces once again. I have found several operatives working together."

Will knocked on Sam's door. She hadn't been late for their sessions for a while now. He became concerned when it was obvious that she would not be there. There was no answer from his knock. The second time he knocked a little louder. After waiting for a response and not getting any, he turned the handle of the door.

"Sam?" He said walking in the room cautiously. "Sam?"

He saw the bed to be disheveled. He walked further in the room, assessing the situation. The lights were off, drapes still closed. The room was quiet, he knew Sam was a sound sleeper, but the bed was empty. Had she forgotten the appointment? He had never seen her bed unmade like this. He could see that she had been having night sweats still, most likely due to the nightmares. Her journal sat on the night table next to her bed.

That's when he saw the rest of the bedding laying on the floor, covering Sam. She was in the corner between the dresser and the wall. Cautiously, he walked toward her. He crouched down next to her. Touching the covers, he tried not to startle her.

"Hey." He said softly. "Sam?"

She woke with a start. Grabbing the covers she tucked herself farther into the corner.

"No, go away!" She yelled.

"Sam, it's ok, you're safe." He stayed calm. "Why are you on the floor?" He asked sitting down next to her.

She looked around the room. Fear covering her face. She didn't move.

"Sam!" he said sternly. Trying to get her attention, he grabbed her shoulders with both hands, even though he still had his left one braced.

Sam responded automatically by swinging her hands at him, hitting his left hand. He winced from the slight discomfort he felt. She tried to fight him off, as if he were going to hurt her. Instinctively, he responded by grabbing her wrists. Wrapping his arms around her in a crisscross manor, he slid behind her holding her tight. He was unsure what had provoked this behavior from her. He held her tightly, waiting for her to stop fighting him. Several times she butted her head back at his face, hitting his square in the nose.

After what seemed like minutes, she exhausted herself. She went limp in his arms. Looking down at her from behind, he could see the vacant stare becoming prominent in her eyes. He recognized this stare, it was the same vacant expression she had when they were being held by Gallagher. She was far from over the ordeal.

"Sam," he whispered in her ear. "It's ok. It's over." Breathing deeply he relaxed his grip slightly. "Talk to me Sam."

She did not respond to his request. She sat quietly staring at nothing. Will leaned back on the night table, loosening his grip even further. His hand began to hurt again. Trying to avoid thinking about that, he tried to get Sam to talk to him.

"Sam, please tell me what happened." He let go of her wrists and moved to where he could see her face. She looked as if she hadn't slept for days. Her eyes were sunken and coloring was pale. "Nightmares?" he asked wiping the blood from beneath his nose.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know you didn't. I'll be fine. What's going on?"

She could feel his deep concern for her. Sighing, she whispered to him, "he's back."

"Who?"

"Patrick."

"Sam, he's dead. He's been dead for over a week. He can't hurt you anymore." He could see the fear in her face. "Really, he's gone."

"No, he's back. I can feel him." She tucked herself deeper in the corner.

"Why don't you come and see for yourself then?" Will was pulling at ideas to help her.

"I, I'm not going out there." She was terrified.

"When did you start to feel him again?" Will wondered. What could cause such a back slide in her? "Tell me what you feel. Tell me about the dream. I know you had one last night."

"It was just a nightmare." She brushed him off, hoping he would stop asking.

"Did you write it down?"

"No, but the others are in there." She said pointing to her journal on the night table. "I can't write this one down."

"Is it from a memory or just a nightmare?" He waited for her to answer.

"Memory," she said looking at the floor.

"What will it take for you to tell me what happened?" Will asked.

She thought for a moment.

"Let me heal you. Look if it weren't for me, you would never have gotten hurt. The least I could do is make you feel better."

"Will you tell me everything?"

She nodded at him, looking at the floor. "I will tell you everything, but not today. Please trust me. I promise I will tell you, but I can't today."

"If not now, when?"

"By the end of the week, I promise," she paused. "I just want some sleep. If I heal you, I can sleep without dreaming."

Looking at her with sympathetic eyes, he sat stood up holding out his hand for her.

"Ok, come on."

Shaking her head, she spoke quieter. "I'm not going out there."

He sat down on the bed. "I know, come up here." He patted the bed next to him. Keeping the covers wrapped around her, she sat on the bed next to Will. He reached his hand out to her. "Go ahead."

She took hold of his hand. Looking into his eyes, she could see the trust in him, aside from feeling it from him. She closed her eyes, breathed deeply and began to help him.

Will could feel the tingle in his face begin. He was able to breathe a little better. The tingle lasted a few minutes. It then traveled to his left hand. After several minutes of them sitting on the bed, Sam opened her eyes, she was done.

"Thanks." She said tucking her arm into the covers. She knew she would be able to get some sleep now, without having to wake up from nightmares.

"When did you start feeling Gallagher again?" Will asked shifting on the bed.

"I'm not sure; it was sometime while I was sleeping. I woke up around two and I could just feel him again."

"Ok, why don't you lay down then and rest. I'll check it out and make sure things are okay." He stood up, ready to leave the room.

"Mk." Sam laid back down on the bed, looking forward to sleeping.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Helen sat behind her desk listening to John. He paced her office explaining to her about the Cabal operatives he'd found in Australia that were working together again. They were trying to reestablish the Cabal to be even stronger. Helen figured this may have been why Gallagher had taken Sam.

"Tell me about what attacked you." She requested.

"It was just a gryphon." He shrugged.

"A gryphon? You are lucky you survived it. You know their talons are sharp as razors." She was appalled that he would go up against such a creature alone. She stopped herself for a moment. "Was it in Australia?"

He nodded at her.

"It's quite unusual to find a gryphon, I've never heard of them living in Australia though." Helen moved to her computer. She wanted to find out where the last sighting of a gryphon of this type had been registered. The last gryphon on record was in Cairo, which was 7 years ago.

John saw the spark in her eyes. He knew she wanted to go find it.

"If you're going to find it, I'll be accompanying you," he told her.

"That's nice of you to offer, John, but I'm sure we can handle this alone." Helen was proud of her team, knowing they'd been able to handle pretty much any task she gave them.

"Ah, I see. Then you may go search for this gryphon, however, if I were to go, I could make it much easier for you to find it, and the Cabal that was holding it captive."

"Please tell me they weren't hurting the poor creature."

"I can show you where it is if you'd like."

"Very well, it would make retrieval much easier." Helen started to make plans for their trip.

Gathering in the main lab, Helen had her team assembled. She would bring Will, Kate and herself. Big Guy, Henry and Declan would stay behind to care for the Sanctuary. She didn't believe it would be too difficult for them to acquire the gryphon. She had agreed to let John join them since he knew where it was located. He would teleport them to an area near where he saw the gryphon.

The team found themselves on a small island north of Darwin, Australia. The area that they arrived in was sparse of vegetation. They could see a building not far from them.

"Is that where it's at?" Kate asked.

"Yes," John answered.

The hum of the generator could be heard from where they were. Sitting back on the rocky formation they compiled their plan.

"The gryphon is guarding the building. It shouldn't be too difficult to collect it." John said leaning against a large rock.

As the sun began to set, they could see movement on the roof of the building. The building itself wasn't too large, it looked like a warehouse. The movement however, increased quickly. Looking through binoculars Helen could see the gryphon on the roof. She couldn't tell what was keeping it on the roof, but she knew somehow the Cabal had found a way.

"It's more beautiful than I thought it could be." Helen was in awe.

"Let's go get it then." Kate said beginning to get impatient.

Seizing the gryphon would be easier than they thought it would be. Once the people on the roof returned back inside the building, they were alone with the creature. Helen requested that John teleport her to the roof. He obliged her and they went to the roof.

Helen stared at the gryphon. It stood on its hind legs, approximately 7 feet high, and squawked at her. It was amazing, she stood and watched it. She could see a collar on its neck. Possibly they way the Cabal kept it contained in that area.

"You never said it was an albino." She told John.

Crouching back on the rooftop, it paced from one side of the roof to the other, it watched her carefully. Its head was covered with white silk looking feathers with a large white beak. The torso was also white, with hair instead of feathers. Its shoulders broad and wide stood square at her, wings slowly flowing through the air. Helen watched it closely. The team gradually surrounded the gryphon, getting ready to sedate it. Kate and Will were ready, waiting for Helen's signal. When John moved it snapped at him.

The gryphon did not attack, it just paced, as if it knew they were going to take it away from its current situation. Helen gave the signal. They fired their tranqs; it took 4 to take it down. It was not afraid of them; it fell on the roof with a loud thud.

"Oh, that was quiet." Kate said sarcastically.

"We need to move fast." Helen said, knowing that someone could have heard it fall easily. "John, take it back first, and then come back for us."

John grabbed Kate by her jacket and the gryphon. They disappeared. Within moments, he had returned for Helen and Will.

"Alright, let's go then." He said placing his hand on Will's shoulder and holding out his had for Helen. They returned to the Sanctuary.

While they were away Henry worked on making some quarters in the SHU for the gryphon. He had pulled out a book from the library trying to figure out what would be suitable for it. The unit he created included shaded lighting, several types of plant life and set the climate control to a warm and moist 27 degrees Celsius.

John automatically teleported the gryphon into it's unit.

They were unsure what it ate, but knew it was a carnivore. Helen stood outside its enclosure while it slept. She watched it, trying to learn from it. Not long after, it started to show signs of waking up. It slowly stood and gave out a loud screech, shaking the walls around it.

David had been walking toward Sam's room, when he could feel its presence. He ran to the SHU. It didn't take him long. Racing around the corner he came to an abrupt stop when he saw it. Standing behind Helen, he starred at it. It tilted its head and gave out a light hum, almost a purr like a cat.

Helen turned to see who was there. She was surprised to find David standing watching the gryphon.

"Hello David. I do hope you are well."

"Yeah, I'm fine thanks." He said not taking his eyes off the gryphon. "What is that?"

"It's an albino gryphon. Isn't it magnificent?"

"Yes, I could feel it upstairs," he paused. "It's almost as if she was calling to me. I've never seen anything like it before." The gryphon took a step toward the window as David moved closer. "She's beautiful."

"She? You can tell its female?"

"Yes, can I stay with her for a while?"

"Of course, how is your sister doing?" Helen asked.

"She's been sleeping the whole time you were gone. She really needed it." David put his hand up to the window. "Will the gryphon be staying here?"

"Yes. Can you tell what its thinking?"

"No, but she feels safe now."

"I'm glad. I wouldn't want her to be afraid here." Helen turned to leave. "Please let me know if anything changes."

David pulled up a chair and sat by the window. He felt drawn to this new creature. He watched as the gryphon lay down in a pile of blankets and closed her eyes to rest.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Knocking on the door, Henry stood waiting for Sam to respond. He had checked on her earlier when the others were in Australia with the gryphon. He knew that she healed Will's hand, so she would be sleeping for a while. He knew she needed it. When he had talked to her the night before, she looked exhausted. Will had told him that she didn't sleep well the evening before.

Knocking again, he opened the door quietly. He could see her form on the bed under the covers. She must still be sleeping. He brought the tray of food in anyway. He wanted to make sure she had something to eat when she woke up.

He placed the tray on the dresser. Watching her sleep, he sat in the chair by the bed. He knew that she would probably sleep until the next morning.

"Henry?" Sam whispered.

"Yeah," he said, moving to sit on the bed next to her, "how are you feeling?"

"Finally getting some sleep."

Henry pulled the blanket up to cover her arms.

"Will said you thought Gallagher was here."

"I can feel him."

"Do you feel him now?"

"Yes," she whispered. "I know he's dead, but I can feel his presence."

"When did you start feeling this again?"

"Sometime last night." She turned to face the other direction. "Stay with me, please?"

Henry took his shoes off. Curling up behind her, he wrapped his arm around her. He lay his head down next to hers. He could smell the scent of lavender from her pillow. Closing his eyes, he listened to her breathing.

"_I knew you couldn't stay far from me, Samantha," Gallagher smiled at her. "Perfect timing as well. You and I can have some fun before we get to work." He slithered his way next to her. _

_She was in a room alone with him. She sensed the yearnings for her filling his mind, and it made her nauseous. _

"_Don't worry Baby; I'll take care of you." He placed his lips on hers; she automatically reacted by biting him back. "Shame on you. You know I have your friend. If anything happens to me, your friend will die." Kneeling down in front of her he placed his hands on hers. _

_Terrified, she sat still saying nothing. She wanted to fight. She wanted to run, but couldn't. She knew they had Will. She knew Gallagher would kill him if she didn't obey him. _

_He slid his hand up her arm, touching her face. He grabbed her jaw, and grinned when she winced in pain. He kissed her harder this time. _

_Sam felt his other hand slide under her shirt. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she felt his hand move higher. _

"_There's nothing to be afraid of my dear Samantha. I'm just going to give you what you deserve." Gallagher abruptly pulled her off the chair and dragged her to the bed in the room. He easily overtook her struggles and pinned her down._

Henry woke to hear Sam screaming. He could see she was dreaming.

"Get away!" She yelled pushing at him. "No! Stop!" She pushed away farther. She was in a panic. She rushed to get off the bed.

"It's ok Sam, it was only a dream." Henry moved slowly toward her. "It's over now."

"I said get away from me." Sam's heart beat in terror.

Henry could feel his chest becoming tight.

"It's me, Henry." He gasped for air. "Sam?" his words became a whisper. As hard as he tried he could not catch his breath. He felt scared, causing him to start to change, his eyes glowed yellow. He was afraid he would loose control. He felt as if something was holding his lungs tight. The room became dark as he fell back down on the bed.

Sam sat in the corner of the room, shaking, when David burst into the room.

"Sam!" He yelled getting her attention. "What did you do?" David went to check on Henry. He was relieved when he felt a pulse. Slowly, he walked to Sam, who had tucked herself into the corner.

Sam trembled uncontrollably. She wouldn't look at her brother, she starred at the floor. Tears streaked down her cheeks.

"Sam, what happened? Did Henry hurt you?" David knelt down next to her.

She shook her head. She couldn't tell her brother about the dream, about what happened. She looked up at Henry, who lay on the bed. How could she have hurt him? She sat dazed on the floor.

David ran to the door, calling for help. Hoping someone would hear him. He ran back to Henry, who lay unconscious on the bed.

"Henry?" he shook him a little.

Helen rushed into the room. Seeing that Henry was unconscious, she went directly to him.

"What happened?" she asked David.

"I'm not sure. I think Sam hurt him." David was back by his sister when Will came into the room.

Will knelt down next to Sam. Looking at her, he could see the same look in her eyes from the day before. He could see that she was terrified. He knew what he had to do. Standing up he turned to Helen.

"We need the room. Everyone needs to leave." He told her, he saw Henry was slowly coming around now. "Go check him over, we'll be here a while."

While the rest of the group left the room, Will made himself comfortable on the floor by Sam. He could see she was still shaking, pulling the blanket off the bed, he wrapped it around her.

David sat alone on the chair worrying about his sister. He had decided to go back down to the SHU to sit with the gryphon. He watched her pace back and forth across her enclosure. He wondered what she thought. He knew how she was feeling, anxious. He could tell she was worried as well.

The gryphon paced from one end of her enclosure to the other. Every so often she would stop pacing and look at him, as if trying to tell him something. She was fully aware of him and showed signs of trying to communicate with him, but there was such a barrier.

"I wish I could help her." He told the gryphon, knowing she would not respond. "She hurts so much and there's nothing I can do." He buried his head in his hands.

"Hey," Henry said walking around the corner. "I thought I'd find you here." Henry walked over to the window of the gryphon. "Did it tell you any secrets?"

"Nope, not yet," David said. "Was hoping she could tell me how to help Sam."

"I know, I don't know what happened earlier."

"Is she still with Will?"

"Yes, I just went past her room. I could hear them talking."

"They've been in there for a couple hours now."

Henry pulled a chair to sit by David. He knew he was too distracted to get any work done. He sat and watched the gryphon pace her habitat.

"Does it have a name?" Henry asked.

"Not that I know of."

"She needs a name if you're going to be coming down here like this." Henry thought for a moment as he stared at the gryphon. "Maggie? Dana? Patsy? Amanda?"

David watched the gryphon's reaction to the suggestions he had made. She did not like any of the suggestions. 

"She needs a name suited for her beauty." David thought of different suggestions. "Gabriella?" He looked at her, he watched her tip her head. "Isabella?" Her head perked up. "That's it. Your name is Isabella." David was glad to have a name for her.

"Isabella, huh? Sounds good," Henry said. "I'm worried about Sam."

"Yeah, I wish she would talk to me." David lowered his gaze. "And to think I was worried about _you_ hurting her."

"I told you before, I could never hurt her. Not on purpose, at least." Henry grabbed his head with both hands. "I can't stand to see her hurt like this. She has something special. It's there, just hiding. I don't know what to do to help her."

They sat quietly watching Isabella. She continued to pace back and forth. Every so often she would stop and stare at them. After a while, she curled up in the blankets to rest. She faced David, continuing to watch him. Waiting, but for what?


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Helen sat behind her desk filling out information about the gryphon. Since returning from Australia with it, she hadn't learned too much about it. She was still unsure why it was so easy to retrieve, but was glad that they had it in their care, the Cabal could no longer control or hurt it. As she continued, John came into the room.

"I will be leaving now. Would you mind lowering the EM field?" he asked.

"Where will you be going?" Helen questioned.

"I am sure you would prefer not to know." He walked to her desk. Placing his hand within reach of hers, he looked deeply at her. "My stay here is over."

"As you wish. Please take care, do not do anything foolish." Helen obliged him and lowered the EM field.

"Thank you my dear." As quickly as he came into her home, he left. Nothing else said.

"Hey Doc," Kate said walking into the office. "Have you seen David?"

"Hello Kate. Have you checked by the gryphon yet?"

"No, I was headed down there. I know he spent part of yesterday down there."

Helen checked the cameras in the SHU. As she suspected he sat on a chair facing the enclosure, joined by Henry.

"Yep, there he is," Kate said. "Thought Henry would be with Sam. Hmm. Well, thanks. I'll be gone for a little bit. David and I were going to head out for some lunch."

"Enjoy." Helen looked back down at the work she was trying to complete.

"He's gone." Sam looked at Will.

They had been talking for several hours in Sam's room. She had explained to Will what happened the first two days with Gallagher. Will knew that these things would take time for her to recover from.

"What do you mean he's gone?"

"The anger, hate, pure evil feeling that was always around when Patrick was near. It's gone." Breathing in deeply she started to relax. Sam closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall. They hadn't moved from the beginning of their conversation.

"Feeling better now?" Will leaned back against the bed. He could see she was beginning to relax, her breathing was much calmer. He had already watched her cry until her tears ran dry.

"Yes, it's a relief." She looked away from him. "Will, there's something else I need to tell you."

He waited for her to explain.

"You can't trust me. The last few days all I've thought about is how to get into the medicine cabinet in Dr. Magnus' lab," she paused, raising her eyes to his, explained further. "I want to out. I don't want to do this anymore. I know it's not the answer though. That's why I'm telling you. I don't want to die, but that's what keeps popping in my head."

"It's not uncommon to feel that way."

"Don't you dare compare me with everyone else! I'm not like everyone else." Sam stood up, leaving the blanket on the floor, she walked around the room. "I have no right to live!"

"You have every right. What happened to you is not your fault." Will sat on the end of the bed. He knew she needed to get angry about what she had been through. She needed to get it out to deal with it.

"No, I could have stopped everything but didn't. I was weak." She paced the room, feeling the rage inside her. "I should have done something."

"Like what? What would you have done?"

"I should have killed Patrick!" 

"He told you that he would kill me. You were just protecting me. You saved my life." Will watched her sit on the chair near the bed. "You saved Henry's life. The gifts that you have are amazing."

Breathing in deeply she tried to absorb his calm nature. She felt his compassion toward her.

"Yeah, but," she stopped.

"No, stop there. What he did to you was horrible. He hurt you. None of this is your fault, none of it." Will placed his hand on hers.

She had finally told someone what happened. She hoped the nightmares would be less frequent now.

The silence in the room was interrupted by a knock at the door. Will went to answer the door. Henry stood outside the door with a tray of food for them.

"I'm not trying to interrupt; David made you both some lunch." Henry handed the tray to Will.

"Thanks Henry." Will could tell Henry wanted to know how Sam was doing. "She'll be fine," Will told him.

Henry nodded at Will and closed the door, allowing them time to finish.

"Pasta looks good today." Will said lightly returning to Sam. "Let's have something to eat."

"Man! That's right! David was supposed to go to lunch with Kate. I hope he didn't change his plans because of me." She accepted the plate Will handed her.

"Kate and David? Really?"

"Yeah, well, maybe Kate's just being nice to David, or vice versa. He doesn't get out much. He's been stuck with me for the past 5 years."

"Sam," Will said, "I'll help you get through this. I promise." He joined her in their meal.

"Really? You live that far from people?" Kate took a bite of her sandwich.

"Yeah, it was the only safe place we could find." David replied. He watched her carefully. She was so intriguing to him. Her eyes were hiding so much, he wondered what was inside.

"Are you planning on going back?"

"Eventually, I'm sure we will. I didn't believe Will and Henry when they first showed up at the cabin. I guess I just didn't want to accept that Gallagher knew where we were."

"So, what's up with that gryphon? You've been down with it a lot since Magnus brought it back."

"Isn't she amazing?" David was excited to talk about it. "I gave her a name, Isabella. She is such a beautiful creature."

"It's not dangerous?"

"I don't think so, but Dr. Magnus hasn't let me go in there with her."

"Why would you want to do that?"

"Something is bothering her. I don't know what it is."

"Any ideas?"

"No," he said shaking his head. "I swear that sometimes she's trying to tell me something. I just don't know what. I really want to figure it out though. I know I will."

"What's up with your sister anyway? She's been locked up in her room for two days now."

Looking at Kate, David took a long drink of his water.

"I'm not sure. She won't talk to me, but when we left she was still talking to Will. I guess she's been having some terrible nightmares."

"Man, I'm sorry," Kate paused, "I'm not trying to pry."

"I know. I'm worried about her." 

"Henry likes her doesn't he?"

"It's mutual. She likes him too."

David leaned back against the back of the booth. He watched Kate while she finished eating her lunch. He was glad to have her as a friend. She was fun to be around, even liked his corny jokes and didn't mind when he talked to the animals around them. It was nice to be around people again.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The evening sunlight crossed the sky in colorful waves, breaking through the clouds. Sam sat on the bench in the courtyard, watching the sunset. She and David had been at the Sanctuary for over a month now. She knew she was not alone, she could feel his concern as he came closer. She did not respond to his approach.

Henry walked up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders, he bent down and kissed her on her cheek gently.

She smiled warmly embracing the tenderness of his kiss. She watched him sit on the bench next to her.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" Henry asked her. He thought about the past few days. He was sure she was avoiding him.

"I needed to deal with things," she replied. She turned her gaze to the trees behind him. "I'm really sorry I hurt you the other day. I really didn't mean to."

"I know it was an accident." Henry concentrated on her face, the sunlight was fading but he could see the deep sadness in her brown eyes. "What's the matter?"

"I want you to know what happened." She looked around the yard, glad no one else was near them. They were alone; she could feel his concern and compassion.

He placed his hand on hers, which lay on her knee. He knew she would tell him eventually, but chose not to rush her.

"Six years ago," she started, "I became friends with Patrick," pausing, "Gallagher. We dated for a couple of months. I thought I could trust him. I told him what I could do." Her gaze changed direction. Memories flooded her head along with many emotions. "He took me and David. I didn't know anything about the Cabal, or even about other abnormals." Her eyes welled up with tears. "He treated me like property, telling me that we would always be together, that I would never be beyond his reach."

Henry sat quietly and listened to Sam as she continued. Tears began to flow.

"When he had us then, he kept us separated. I knew David was there, I could feel him. He had us for almost five months." She drifted into her memories. She began to stare off.

"How did you get away from him?" Henry asked.

"One day one of his men came in the room. He touched me." Sam breathed deeply. "He wanted to hurt me. I didn't know what I could do. All I knew was that I was an empath. I had no idea that I could hurt anyone." She was consumed with the memories now. "I didn't want to hurt him. Honest. I just wanted him to stop."

Henry continued to listen to her. He could see the pain in her face, the anguish in her voice.

"I killed him. I watched him die. He just sat there, staring at nothing." She started to cry uncontrollably. "Henry, I killed him!"

He placed his arm around her, pulling her close to him. He couldn't imagine how she felt at that moment.

"I took his keys. I found David." Drawing in a shaky breath, she continued. "I had to kill 4 people to get out. I took their lives from them."

"Sam," Henry started. "That was a long time ago."

"I know," she paused. "Henry, I've killed 37 people." She felt ashamed to admit this to him. She knew she couldn't hide from the truth and needed him to know.

Henry shifted on the bench to face her directly. Placing his hands atop of hers, he could only imagine the pain she was in.

"There's more," tears still flowing, "Patrick took something from me. I can't get it back. Those two missing days," pausing silently she looked into Henry's eyes. She felt how saddened and worried he had become. "I have to tell you, but it will change everything."

"Sam, nothing you can say will change the way I feel about you," he told her. "I've never had this type of bond with anyone before."

"I haven't either," swallowing, she caught her breath. "I feel so comfortable when I'm around you. It's like I've always known you. I don't want it to change but I know it will."

"Please tell me," Henry waited.

Sam couldn't look at him as she finished explaining. She looked off to the side of him at the trees.

"I don't even know how to tell you," she paused. "Dr. Magnus checked twice." Sam was terrified to tell him, but knew she must. "I'm pregnant."

Henry looked at Sam; he could see the deep sadness in her eyes. It saddened him deeply to see her this way.

"That doesn't change the way I feel about you," he said softly. Placing his hand under her chin, he raised her face to look at his, "I'll be right here for you."

Sam nodded her head slightly acknowledging him. She was unsure what to do next as she was full of emotions, both hers and Henry's. They overwhelmed her, her eyes welled with tears. She turned to look away, but Henry stopped her.

He gently wrapped his arm around her shoulders, seeing she was torn inside, allowing her to burry her face in his shirt and cry. He thought about the last month, how they had become such close friends and spent as much time together as they could. David had told him that they seemed inseparable, until the past few days. He now understood why she began to draw away from him.

Sam's tears ran dry. Sniffing, her breathing was labored from crying. She slowly calmed herself.

"Have you told David?"

"No, not yet," she looked at the grass.

"Do you want me to be there with you?"

"No, I need to tell him myself," she looked up at him, "I'll be okay."

Lightening struck outside the main tower. A loud clap of thunder shook the grounds of the Sanctuary. The rain poured hard enough to hear throughout the building. Sam sat on the bed watching David pace the room.

"David, you need to calm down," she told him.

He ignored his sister. He heard a window break a few rooms over from the hail.

"David!" she yelled. "Stop!" she got up off the bed. Taking hold of his hands, she looked into his eyes. "Please stop David." She didn't have to hear the storm outside to know how he was feeling inside. He was angrier than she'd ever seen him. The room was filled with a mix of emotions, making her queasy.

"How could he?" David shook his head in disbelief. "How could he do that to you? If he weren't dead, I'd kill him!"

"David, please calm down, there's something else." Sam took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm pregnant."

She watched him stop in his tracks, frozen from what he'd heard. Not only did she have to tell him what Gallagher had done to her, but the fact that she was pregnant from it. She knew he would have a difficult time with this since he had been trying to protect her from this man for the last six years.

David walked to the chair in the back of the room to sit down. Taking some time to think about what his sister told him, he held his head in his hands. Tears rolled down his cheeks.

"I'm okay, David," she told him, sitting in the chair beside him. She could feel more rage slowly building within her brother. "David?"

"What?" he snapped at her. Catching himself, "I'm sorry," he apologized. "You're sure?"

"Yes, Dr. Magnus checked twice."

"What are you going to do?"

"Dr. Magnus said I should stay here, not return to the cabin. I think she's right. If you want to go back you can, well, if you feel its safe now, but I'll be staying for a while."

"You're going to keep it?"

"I'm taking it one day at a time, but I'm done with killing." Stretching her neck from side to side she could feel the tension in the room, she was feeling exhausted. This had been a day full of emotions, she was ready to sleep.


	22. Author's note

Authors note:

I hope you have enjoyed reading this fic. I have updated this as of 12/25/2012. Please feel free to give me feedback. I have Part 2 slowly in the works. I already know it will take time for this to be accomplished.


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